Bhagavad-gita 18.68-69
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Toronto · 2022
Chapters
Conquering death through devotional service
Hare Krishna. I am very happy to be with all of you this evening. I've come to Toronto after a long time. This temple is very special for me because I was in this temple in 2005 when at
the time when Bhakti Tirtha Swami left his body and I was giving Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class on that day when this news arrived.
And it was really amazing because the verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was at that time, supposed to be spoken about,
was the verse when Dhruva Mahārāja is leaving this world and he is climbing the celestial Vimāna and the death personified is coming to him and he is tapping his foot on the head of death personified.
So it's actually very symbolic. As devotees we are supposed to conquer death. Nobody can conquer death. Death is all-conquerable. But we are living the life of devotion to re-establish our eternal nature.
Death is actually unnatural. Death is not something which is according to our nature, therefore we are so repulsive. Nobody wants even to hear about it.
For us as spirit souls, our nature is sac-cid-ānanda. We are eternal, we are full of knowledge and full of bliss. And unfortunately, we forget we forgot about this nature of our soul and due to contact with
material nature and we adopted the qualities of material nature which is asat, acit and nirananda. It's non-eternal, it's full of ignorance, and it's full of miseries.
So the purpose of Krishna consciousness is ultimately to re-establish this eternal nature of the soul, to be established within this nature which is already within us, but due to some misunderstanding, we are confused.
And by re-establishing this, we are conquering over death,
The significance of studying Bhagavad-gita
we are conquering over avidyā, ignorance and we are conquering over miseries of this life, sufferings of this life.
So I will read a verse from the end of Bhagavad-gītā because now it's marathon is going on, and it's very important for us to understand that all these results are coming from
our contact with Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is the direct manifestation of Krishna's intelligence, spiritual intelligence.
And by coming in contact with Bhagavad-gītā, we already kind of we're coming in contact with God Himself. Very often, Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that Bhagavad-gītā is non-different from God Himself. He spoke it.
Sankaracharya glorifying Bhagavad Gita in Gita Mahatmi says that this Gita, Gita Suggita Kartavyama, should be sang in a very beautiful way. Why? Because it came out from the lotus mouth of the Lord Himself.
And there is no need in any other literature. If we are coming in contact with the words of God, we are coming in contact directly with Him. And He is the original source of Satchitananda.
To re-establish our real nature, we have to keep in contact with Him, that's why we chant Hare Krishna and that's why we study Bhagavad-gītā. And I will read a couple of verses which were favorite
Śrīla Prabhupāda's verses at the end of Bhagavad-gītā, where he explains, where Krishna explains, why it is so important to distribute this knowledge to other people. It's verses sixty-eight and sixty-nine.
Omnamo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Omnamo Bhavate vasudevaya, Omna mo Bhagavate vasudevaya Naray namaskritya, naramcha narotamamam Devim Saraswatim Yasam Tatojayama Diray, Yaidam paramamguhyam, yaidam
paramamguhjam, paramamamguam, madbaktes, abidhassyati, Madhakte, Madbaktees, Abhidhassyati, Abhte, Bhaktimai, Paramkritva, bhakti mai paramkritva, mameva sia, samsa ja Mame vai shatya samshayaham,
yaydam paramamguhyam, madbhaktes, abidhasyati Bhaktimai Paramkritva, Bhakti Mai Paramkritwa, Mamava Shamsayaha, Translation by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed and in the end he will come back to me. Purport.
Generally, it is advised that Bhagavad-gītā be discussed amongst the devotees only. For those who are not devotees will understand neither Krishna nor Bhagavad-gītā.
Those who do not accept Krishna as He is and Bhagavad-gītā as it is, should not try to explain Bhagavad-gītā whimsically and become offenders.
Bhagavad-gītā should be explained to persons who are ready to accept Krishna as the supreme personality of Godhead. It is a subject matter for devotees only and not for philosophical speculators.
Anyone, however, who tries sincerely to present Bhagavad Gita as it is will advance in devotional activities and reach the pure devotional state of life as a result of such pure devotion, he is sure to go back home back to Godhead.
And I will read the next verse also. Na Chame Tasmat Anyak Priyataro Bhuvi. There is no servant in this world more dear to me than he,
nor will there ever be one more Namam Vishnupadaia Krishna Prastaya Bhutale Srimati Bhaktividanta Swami Nikinamin Namaste Raspati Deli, Gurawani Pracharny, Nirviche She Sunya, Paschatarimi, Van Chakalpatar Veschak, ripasindu de Vacha, Pattitanam Pavali Byovaisnavibyo Namona Maha.
Djai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda, Sri Advaita Gdathara, Sivasa de Guru Bhakta Vrinda.
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 Ramahare Hare.
Realizing God as a personal supreme being
Yantah praviši mammachima pra suktam sangivaya takila shakti daraswadam, anjamchahastacharnas ravanatva ranandamo These two verses were very favorite verses of Srila Prabhupada because they encapsulate his mission.
He knew that by explaining this param secret, this supreme secret. One can achieve the highest stage of devotion. And as a result of this, as Krishna Himself says, His coming to Him is guaranteed.
And therefore, Krishna emphatically states that there is no one more dear to me than somebody who is trying to explain this secret to the devotees.
And Srila Prabhupada very beautifully uh explains in the purport in very simple words what is this param secret what is this paramguhyam what is this supreme secret which krishna is explained the supreme secret, the most secret knowledge, is that God is a person.
It's not such an easy thing to understand. Because usually people. many people many people believe in God, but their conception of God is very vague. Who is God?
He's something about whom I don't know anything but probably he is something next to nothing. So you know God is some impersonal thing, some void, something. And if you tell them, no, God is a person.
Not only person, he is a person with his own will, with his own desires. And that's why he created this world. Otherwise, if he was not a person, if he was not some impersonal thing, why would he create this world?
What is the reason? Why does impersonal something need such a big headache by creating this big world with so many problems in it? Infested by all these miseries and sufferings. No, there must be some plan behind it.
Very benevolent plan, because God by definition is very benevolent. But plan means the person, desire means the person, means somebody with whom I ultimately can and should have personal relationship.
That's the most secret and most confidential knowledge. Because in every other religion they speak something about this, but very little.
Whereas in Bhagavad-gītā and especially in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the whole Śrīmad- Bhagavatam is devoted to this, how to enter into the personal contact with God, which is in one sense, very difficult.
Because personal relationship requires from us surrender. If we want to enter personal relationship, it means that we have to somehow or other go to so many compromises.
We basically, we have to do something which somebody else wants us to do, whereas we want to do something else. Personal relationship means this. I'm doing something which you want to do. Why?
Because I want to be in personal contact with you. Because I love you. For you I'm doing this.
And therefore it's difficult, especially in uh this day and age, for people—they're becoming more and more impersonal and they don't know how to enter into personal relationship.
Yesterday I was giving—before yesterday I was giving some public lecture, and one lady she's a teacher in the school, and she said it's so difficult for—for young kids to—they're so afraid and so insecure to enter into some personal relationship because they're so used to deal with the machines.
They're dealing with all these gadgets from very young age and it's very easy. To deal with machines, you don't need to surrender.
You only need to know which button to push. You know. To deal with the person, you need to understand his character, you need to know.
It's very easy to you know to plow the field with the tractor. Because you sit on the tractor, you push the button, and here you are. The result is there.
But if you take the bull, the bull has his own character, you know, you have to you know come to him, you have to pet him, you have to say some nice words to him and then maybe he will plow it.
But people, because they're used to they're programmed to this impersonal dealings with the machines, which don't require anything, they become very very insecure when it comes to personal relationship.
They become very shy and very they don't know what to do actually. You know it's of course majority people here from Indian background in India. It's not that far.
It didn't go that far because Vedic culture from the beginning is teaching people how to deal with each other, how to cooperate with each other. You know, all these big festivals and everything.
You know, they have very culture is very personal. Even the greatest impersonalists in India are more personal people than the greatest personalists in the West. I have personal experience of this.
You know, in India you uh the jury uh you may be Mayawadi but this Mayawadi they're not really Mayavadi they're so personal they're they're so loving and nice. It's only philosophy.
In philosophy, from philosophical sense, they're impersonalists. But in reality, we are persons. And we need love. We need personal relationship.
And basically, what Krishna here says when he says that this is Paramanguhyam, that this is the most important thing, he's speaking. This is the secret because it's difficult for people to understand.
It's difficult for people to understand that absolute truth has the personal features.
Overcoming obstacles to personal relationships
And therefore they say, no, no, this is just, you know, some myth or whatever, and ultimately they prefer not to enter into personal relationship.
Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully in the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā he explains the verse vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā mad-mayā mām upāśritāḥ.
He says that Krishna says that to enter into personal relationship, you have to overcome three major difficulties: raga, bhaya, and krodha.
Raga means attachment, and attachment means you are attached in a very selfish way to somebody, and therefore, in dealing with this person, you are not dealing with him as a person, you are dealing with him as a machine, you're exploiting him.
When we enter into this relationship based on exploitation, It's not a personal relationship. You want to force somebody to do what you want to do.
And this is not, it means that you want to turn him into a computer, you know. it means that you want to turn him into computer, you know.
You know, I need a wife. But this wife should have some buttons so that I can push this button and she keeps quiet. No, it doesn't work like this. You know, there is no such button in a wife. It would be nice.
Because I knew that it's not going to happen, therefore I'm a sannyāsi. You have to take into consideration his desires, her desires, her wishes, her preferences, her whatever it is.
So, and therefore Kṛṣṇa says the first impediment on this way of personal relationship is raga. Raga when I am attached to somebody, but I want to force him to do what I want to do. That's what raga means.
It's the difference between love and attachment. Attachment is when we are just like, sometimes parents are attached to their children. But there is a fine difference between love and attachment.
When we love somebody, we love him as a person and therefore we don't force him to do something which we want him to do. We want him to do something which will be beneficial for him.
And we may have our own ideas, but ultimately the main intention is that let him do something which will help him to realize his potential. Not something which I want him to do by all means.
That's you know, raga means I want to force somebody to do what I want to do, what I think is the best.
But uh relationship love means that I know that uh he is a person and he he has his own ideas. And I, you know, I really respect him and I try to understand him. So this is the first impediment.
Vita Raga Raga Bhaya Bhaya means fear. And Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the purport to this verse in the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā that fear here is the fear of personal relationship.
Because we are so used to this exploitive relationship.
We are used to this relationship which are not healthy ultimately, which are not really loving relationships, that ultimately we become very shy and we try to hide away from personal relationship.
We become frustrated and uh we become fearful. And again, crowda means anger, and anger also means
that you ultimately say there is no God. You, you, you, uh, reflect all these, uh, problems which you have within your heart in, uh, relationship with God and ultimately being angry, you say there is no God, there is no God. This is the manifestation of anger.
People are frustrated. When they say there is no God, God doesn't exist, it's just the highest extent of their existential frustration. Because how can you deny, you know, you know, how there's no God? Who created this?
You know, you have to be really mad men to say that there is no God. You know, they say there was a big explosion and this big explosion, big bang.
And this big bank created everything, you know. Well, small bank create chaos, but big bank creates such an order. You know, does it make any sense? Amazing complexity of life was just a result of big bang.
You know, without any intention. You know, God is there, but when you are frustrated, you say there's no God. But why are you frustrated? Because you cannot really frustration comes because we lack love.
When we feel this lack of love, lack of personal touch with other people. We ultimately become frustrated and we say there is no God.
We cannot really relate to this idea that we can enter into personal relationship with God.
Resolving identity crisis through spiritual knowledge
And Bhagavad-gītā is actually the book is about this. Bhagavad-gītā is gradually, gradually teaching us what does it mean to be spiritual person?
First, Kṛṣṇa is explaining what does it mean to be full-fledged person in a material sense. Nowadays what happens is that uh people are really confused even about their material identity.
And this confusion is becoming all pervading. You know you don't know who you really are, whether you are a boy or girl or maybe you're something else.
You know, I don't know if it's politically correct to say these things. But people are confused and there's spreading confusion. There is this identity crisis which is all pervading in the Western culture.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda, by formulating his mission, he says that nirviśeṣa Sun Yavadi Paschatyadesha Tarine, I am trying to free all these Western countries, Paschatyadesha, because they're infested by this disease of impersonalism.
Disease of impersonalism also means that you don't know who you are. People nowadays they're so detached from themselves. They don't know who they are. They don't know.
You know, you ask people, you ask psychologists, you go to any psychologist, you ask what is the problems uh problem with which people come to them and the psychologists will tell uh you that the main problem people people are confused and uh they say that I'm not in contact with myself.
You know, it may sound funny. How is it you are not in contact with yourself? But that's the fact. Why? Because people don't know how to be a person.
To enter into personal relationships which are satisfying, you have to be established in your own personality first. If you don't know who you are, you cannot really enter into a productive relationship with somebody else.
Productive relationship with somebody else imply that you have very clear identity.
You know, if you come to somebody and you say, I want to enter into some relationship with you, you know, and you know the question uh which is coming from this somebody is you know who you are. He said, I I I don't know who I am.
What you're going to do in this relationship. I don't know. You know, but let's let's enter into some relationship.
No, relationship means I know who I am and I know who the person with whom I want to enter into this relationship. I am established in myself.
If somebody knows, what does it mean to be son, and if somebody knows what does it mean to be a father, then the relationship can be productive.
But if somebody doesn't know what does it mean to be son, if somebody doesn't really know what it implies, and if somebody doesn't know what it means to be father, how the relationship can work?
You know, the relationship will be very satisfying if son knows that I should be obedient to my father. Isn't it?
You know, father is superior to me, father is supposed to protect me, but for him to protect me, I have to surrender to him. I have to follow his instructions, then the protection will come.
And when father is capable of giving protection, he's very happy. And if his son is just rejecting his protection, he wants to give protection.
But if the son doesn't want to take protection, Then there is no relationship. The father is not happy and ultimately the son is unhappy because they don't know what what they're supposed to do in this relationship.
If husband and wife don't know what they're supposed to do in their relationship, there will never be happy relationship between them. You know, there will always be quarrel. And that's what we see.
This is the hallmark of Kali Yuga. Kali Yuga is the age of quarrel. The Sanskrit root kal means quarrel, quarrel and hypocrisy, as Śrīla Prabhupāda says. Prabhupada says. Why?
Because people are losing uh their ability to live as full-fledged persons. They don't know what it means.
Practicing love and service in daily life
They don't develop their personality properly. Whereas Vedic culture, what is Vedic culture? Vedic culture from the beginning, from the childhood, everyone knows what he is supposed to do.
Everyone knows what it means to be and how to live life which is most fulfilling. And because this lack of personal relationship in general, because of this um inability to actually feel love and give love. To receive love.
To receive love it's also not so easy. We lose the ability to give love or gradually losing. I hope it's not so bad, but it's coming to this to this idea, to this concept.
And it's very difficult to receive love in a proper way. It's a science. Love is the most difficult science. It's very interesting. That once I heard a comparison.
It is said that Lord Viṣṇu when he holds his chakra, he uses only one finger. To hold his chakra he uses he needs only one finger to kill others. You know it's it's a simple joke to kill others.
For God only one finger is required. But when Lord Krishna is playing his flute, he needs ten fingers to do it. Love is much more difficult. It's much more complex.
It's much more it's a science. It's a very complex and beautiful science. And therefore Krishna is full he's manifesting his full personality.
You know, God, why we say that that ultimate conception of the absolute truth of God is Krishna. Because Krishna is this manifestation of God where He manifests his full potential.
He manifests everything and especially what is his specialty, what the specialty of Krishna is his specialty of entering into relationship.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains this, the essence of the Supreme Personality of God is that he is the full manifestation of all the rasas, of all the relationship, of all loving relationships with minute details, minute nuances of this relationship, which brings so much satisfaction to us.
So here we are, through Bhagavad-gītā, we are trying to learn this science. Ultimately, this is what Krishna is teaching us in Bhagavad-gītā. He's teaching us the initial ABC truths: how to love God.
And the first thing which he says is that: first be who you are. First understand your material identity. Be established in this. He rebukes Arjuna.
He says, Arjuna, you think you are a big, big sādhu. You just imagine that you are, you know, a non-violent sādhu. You will go to Himalayas, you will sit in a cave, and then you know some other sādhu will come to you, and this some other sādhu will say that uh you know somebody will somebody did something wrong to him and because you're a kṣatriya, you're not a sādhu, you will start fighting with other sādhus. You know, you will not be able to change your nature.
The first lesson which Krishna gives, he rebukes Arjuna for his identity crisis.
He says, Arjuna, you're confused now and because you're confused uh you're experiencing all these very difficult emotions which you cannot really uh digest properly and uh uh you're not yourself.
You know, this is what we are. This is very important lesson for us. We have to really try to understand who I am. And who I am, to understand who I am, means to understand what I am supposed to do.
You know, if I'm living here, you know, then this is my position here. I'm a woman or I'm a man and I'm, you know, I have this role in the society. It's very important, you know, to be established in my material identity.
And then after establish after being established in material identity only you will be able to establish your spiritual identity, which is the basis or foundation or the step towards personal relationship with God.
You know, because you cannot really establish any relationship unless you understand your identity. So this is the science which is explained in Bhagavad-gītā in a very beautiful way.
First, Krishna says you understand who you are. And then gradually, gradually try to understand that ultimately your spirit soul, which is not really dependent on this body.
But But to understand this, you have to be first happy in this body.
You know, if you are not really happy, if you don't, if you're confused, if you don't know uh what you're supposed to do, you will never be able to really understand your spiritual identity.
How you will understand your spiritual identity? You know, people in the West, because their material life is so miserable, they don't even ask this question who I am in a higher sense.
You can only ask this question and go deeper in this question if you're a more or less happy person. Then only this will come as your agenda.
You know, I know people in the West, because their family life is so difficult and so unhappy, you know, they enter into some marriage relationship of course nowadays it's just you know boy and girl live together and then after a couple of you know months or years whatever they enter into something else and then again and again and again.
So sometimes they have ten marriages. You know, this famous star, actress Elizabeth Taylor, she had ten husbands.
You know, and you know, I spoke with one woman, she had I think three or four marriages, and I asked her, why did you do this? She said, it's better to have many happy marriages than one unhappy.
That was your explanation, the rationale. But people they don't know, they don't know that to live together you have to surrender to each other.
You have to really take into consideration other desires and then ultimately you will be able to enter into happy relationship.
But because they don't have this happy relationship, they always have this hope that maybe next time I will be happy. This time it didn't work, next time it will work. No, it will not work next time either.
After a couple of weeks or months or whatever you will you will try to find somebody else. Because again, because people are lacking this training and this understanding,
Sharing the message of Bhagavad-gita
you know that actually it's uh sometimes and I also say this that Bhagavad-gītā is the book about surrender. That's why surrender. You know, surrender may sound very heavy, you know, surrender, surrender. No.
But surrender is the way to love somebody. That's why surrender is needed. Because without surrender, there is no love. Without surrender, there is no relationship.
Without surrender, there is no deep fulfilling feelings which can be experienced in very close relationships. And therefore, Krishna explains this: whoever is explaining this secret.
That God is a person and we can only feel completely happy and completely fulfilled if we enter into a personal relationship with Him. Whoever is explaining this and explaining means he understood it himself.
It's not that I'm sitting here explaining to you and then I'm going to my room and I lock my room and I don't want to see anyone because you know because they only bring headache to me. No.
Explaining this science means that you practice this science. You practice this science in in your life and you really practice this science of love, science of loving relationship. How to serve others.
Service is nothing else but just synonym of love. Again, people like word love because they think that love means enjoyment. But people don't like word service. But in Sanskrit, seva service means love.
There is no love without service. Love without service is just an empty word which doesn't have any meaning.
So, and therefore Krishna says whoever understood this science, these beautiful signs of love, of personal relationship, of importance of this personal relationship, whoever understood this science and whoever is trying to explain it to others, whoever is really trying to explain to people that the only fulfillment which we may have, the only success in life which we may have is not money, is not position, it's not power.
The only success which we may have and which which which we should strive for is love, loving relationship. Everything else is just a tool, an instrument for this. Money without love can only bring miseries.
Power without love can only bring miseries. Anything else without love is a source of suffering. But if you have love, money is good. You know, if you have love, money is useful. No problem.
Everything else can be used, but love is the must. That's the most important. That's the emphasis. That's the goal of our life. Loving relationship with people around us and ultimately with God.
Because everyone is an image of God. God is in everyone's heart. And if we understand this, we will also enter into personal relationship with all the people around me. And we will be able to manifest our love to them.
And Krishna three most important things. He says, whoever understands this, really understands this, he will have bhakti. It means he will have love.
If you understand that the goal of your life is love, the love will come to you. If you don't understand this, if you don't set this goal in your life, you will never be able to experience love. In real sense.
Krishna says you will experience bhakti in the higher sense, you will come to me, because when you experience bhakti, for sure you will come to God.
His world, spiritual world, is the world of love, is the world of bhakti.
When uh you become through and through, when you become such charged uh by bhakti, by this power, definitely in a very natural way you will achieve spiritual kingdom.
And not only this, Krishna also promises the third thing. He said, if you do this, if you understand Bhagavad-gītā and try to explain Bhagavad-gītā to others, then you will become very dear to me.
It means that not only you come to me. Sometimes we may come to somebody, but still the relationship will be very distant. But Krishna says: no, you not only come to me, when you will come to me, I will embrace you.
I will say, oh, you distributed Bhagavad-gītās in Toronto. And I say in Bhagavad-gītā, that such person is the most dear for me. And nobody else will become more dear for me in the future.
You know, I have a very special place for you. This is a place for somebody who distributes Bhagavad-gītā in Toronto. This is a special section of the spiritual world for Toronto devotees. But it's not a joke.
Krishna says it himself.
If we really leave Bhagavad-gītā, once a person approached Śrīla Prabhupāda and said, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you know, they say that Krishna chanted Bhagavad-gītā within 45 minutes. And I can chant Bhagavad-gītā within 45 minutes. I practiced it.
I can chant it. You want me to chant Bhagavad-gītā for 45 minutes to you? Prabhupāda said, no, I want you to live Bhagavad-gītā for at least one minute. It's it would be much better.
You know, because people may chant Bhagavad-gītā. But to live Bhagavad-gītā is another thing.
So Kṛṣṇa says, if you live Bhagavad-gītā, if you understand this beautiful science which Kṛṣṇa is teaching in Bhagavad-gītā, and try to explain it to others then you will be very dear to me because that's that's the nature.
That's the nature of love. When we distribute these books to other people, we are basically distributing Kṛṣṇa's love. And Kṛṣṇa will reciprocate with this.
By giving people this message of spiritual world and Kṛṣṇa is very happy when we're doing this and because he's so happy He will He's waiting for us. He's he's saying yes. Yes.
Not now because few more marathons are there and you can continue distributing my books, but at the end, uh, please come to me and I'm I'm really looking forward to see all of you.
So and out of all of you, I'm the most intelligent because I'm sitting here and explaining this to you, having this promise of Krishna in mind. But uh my real purpose is of course to inspire you to do this.
To study Bhagavad-gītā, to live Bhagavad-gītā and to distribute the message of Bhagavad-gītā to every person whom you meet and in this way to save the world. Thank you very much.