Bhagavad-gita 4.35
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · Sweden · 2006
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Recitation and translation of Bhagavad-gita verse
I will read this 35th verse of the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, transcendental knowledge.
Yatgyatva napunar moham Yaat gyatva na punarmahan, Eva nyasya Sipandava, Eva nyasiasipandava, evam yasiasi pandavā, Yena Bhutanya Sissani, Yana Bhutan Shasani, Yena Bhutanya Sissani, Yena Butan Shasani, Draksha satmanyatamai, Draksatman Yatamai, Daksyat, Draksha Syat man ja tum, Yadsgjatva na Punarmaham, Eba' Sia Sypandava, Ebamia Yen na bota neśani, draksia sjadma, Yat Yat which Yatva knowing Na never Una again, Mohammed Evan Like this. Like this.
Yes, yes. You shall go. You shall go. Pandava or son of Pandu. Yena. By which Bhutani Living entities Ashani Asani all Draksyasi Draksī You will see Atmani Mani in the Supreme Soul Athao Athao or in other words in me in me.
Having obtained real knowledge from a self-realized soul. You will never fall again into such illusion.
Nor by this knowledge you will see, for by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or in other words, they are mine.
The result of receiving knowledge from a self-realized soul, or one who knows things as they are, is learning that all living beings are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of God, at Lord Sri Krishna.
The sense of an experience separate from Krishna is called Maya. Ma, na, ya dis. Some think that we have nothing to do with Krishna, but Krishna is only a great historical personality.
And that the absolute is the impersonal Brahman. Actually, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, this impersonal Brahman is the personal thousands of Krishna.
Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead, is the cause of everything. In the Brahma Sankhita it is clearly stated that Krishna is the supreme personality of God at the cause of all causes.
Even the millions of incarnations are only his different expansions. Similarly, the living entities are also expansions of Krishna.
The Mayavadi philosophers wrongly think that Krishna loses his own separate existence in many expansions. This thought is material in nature.
We have experience in the material world that I think, when fragmentally distributed, loses its own original identity.
But the Mayavadi philosophers fail to understand that the absolute means that one plus one is equal to one and that one minus one is also equal to one. This is the case of the absolute world.
For want of sufficient knowledge in the absolute science, we are now covered with illusion and therefore we think that we are separate from Krishna.
Although we are separated parts of Krishna, we are nevertheless not different from him. The bodily difference of living entity is Maya. Or not actual fact.
We are all meant to satisfy Krishna. By my alone Arjuna thought that temporary bodily relationship with his kinsmen was more important than his eternal spiritual relationship with Krishna.
The whole teaching of the Gītā is targeted towards this end: that a living being, as Krishna's eternal servitor, cannot be separated from Krishna, and his sense of being an identity apart from Krishna is called māyā.
The living entities, as separate parts and parcels of the Supreme, have purpose to fulfill. Having forgotten that purpose since time immemorial, they are situated in different bodies as men, animals, demigods, etc.
Such bodily differences arise from forgetfulness of the transcendental service of the Lord.
But when one is engaged in the transcendental service through Krishna consciousness, one becomes at once liberated from this illusion.
One can acquire such pure knowledge only from the bona fide spiritual master and thereby avoid the delusion that the living entity is equal to Krishna.
Perfect knowledge is that the Supreme Soul, Krishna, is the Supreme Shelter for all living entities.
And giving up such a shelter, the living entities are deluded by the material energy, imagining themselves to have a separate identity. Thus, under different standards of material identity, they become forgetful of Krishna.
And however, such deluded living entities become situated in Krishna consciousness. It is to be understood that they are on the path of liberation,
as confirmed in the Bhāgavatam, muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṃ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Liberation means to be situated in one's constitutional position as an eternal servitor of Krishna, Krishna consciousness.
Yad jñātvā na punar moham evam yāsyasi pāṇḍava, bhūtāny aśeṣeṇa drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi. Yasy Sipandavayana Butanyasani Drakshasyatmanyat Homai.
Having obtained real knowledge from the self-realized soul, you will never again fall into such illusion.
For by this knowledge you will see that all living beings are but part of the Supreme, or in other words, that they are in Me.
Nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale, śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine. Namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe.
vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ.
gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Ajānu-lambita-bhujau kanakāvadātau saṅkīrtanaika-pitarau kamalāyatākṣau.
Permanence of real transcendental knowledge
ājānu-lambita-bhujau kanakāvadātau saṅkīrtana-paitarau kamalāyatākṣau. wanted to speak a little bit tonight about this verse, because this verse sums up the essence
of transcendental knowledge, which is the goal of any spiritual pursuit. And at the same time, Krishna makes a very peculiar, very interesting statement in this verse that this knowledge has a very special characteristic.
As soon as you get it, you will never be able to lose it. We know that in the material world knowledge very quickly evaporates from our head. Every one of us was passing exams.
Usually you keep the knowledge only until the moment the exam is over. The very next second you don't remember anything which was there. You were trying to acquire knowledge through some different processes.
But then the knowledge, which is nothing but mere information, evaporates from your memory. And then you may again, get it if you use it after some time. But then if you don't use it, it again goes away.
However, Krishna here says that yaj jñātvā na punar moham. He says you will never na punar moham again fall into this illusion. If you acquire this knowledge, yaj jñātvā, then the illusion will never cover you.
So this particular point of this verse I wanted to describe a little bit, but to understand why Krishna promises us this and how it is true. How this knowledge never goes away as soon as you get it.
I wanted to in a few words describe the context of this verse. Basically this fourth chapter is called Transcendental Knowledge because of this verse. Because of this verse and two verses after that.
The rest of the chapter is devoted to karma. Jñāna, knowledge, according to Krishna, comes to your heart as a result of a very special experience of a proper action in this material world.
And Krishna calls this proper action in a generic term as yajña.
He says the proper action which brings about knowledge within your heart is yagya, sacrifice. Unless you are engaged in sacrifice, you will not be able to get knowledge.
And Krishna explains that there are many different types of sacrifices. The sacrifice is not just an archaic outdated ritual which was there thousands of years ago and some crazy Hare Krishna are doing it still now.
Sacrifice is a very uh general term and Krishna specifically uses this term explaining that whatever you do, if it's done in proper consciousness, can be the sacrifice. He lists many, many different kinds of sacrifices.
He says that yogis who just control their breathing through pranayam,
through the process of pranayam, they're doing sacrifice because they kind of control their breathing pattern and they're trying to control their consciousness.
He says that those people who renounce the world and live in the monastery, as Brahmacharis, as renounced people, they're doing, they're engaged in sacrifice. But then immediately he says those people who live Anyway,
he says that there are different kinds of sacrifices and the sacrifices, Krishna is very liberal. He's not saying just engaged in this sacrifice or that sacrifice.
He says all this while summing up this section of Bhagavad-gītā. Krishna explains that all these different people, if they know the purpose of sacrifice, if they are Yagyevido Yagyevidaha.
Yagevidaha means they're knowers of sacrifice. Or in other words, then knowing what they're doing. And they're not just ignorant fools who are doing some mechanical process and hoping to achieve something.
If they do it in a proper consciousness, then he says they obtain a very special result. He explains that basically there are three results of being engaged in If you know this.
He says, first of all, your ignorance is dispelled. You become, you know, your sufferings or problems in this material world is dispelled. Then he says you obtain positive wealth in this world.
And then he says, uh then Yanti Brahma Sanatana, the third result of being engaged in sacrifice. Ultimately, at the end of life, you go to Brahman. You become spiritual.
You spiritualize your existence by being here. And then at the end result, as a logical consequence of whatever you're doing here, you will go to Brahman.
So this is three great results of sacrifice which Krishna promises us. The only condition which he puts for us to obtain this result, to dispel the ignorance, to obtain wealth.
Vishwana Chakravati Thakur while explaining the 30th verse of this chapter, he says that those people who are engaged in sacrifice they become materially wealthy, not only spiritually.
They become happy in this material life, and then they obtain ultimately the spiritual benefit of the sacrifices. The only thing which you have to do, you have to do this properly.
It's not that whatever you do, if you call it sacrifice, will be sacrifice and will bring about these great results. Because so many people can make a good case that they're doing sacrifice.
I'm sacrificing my life for the sake of my, I don't know, family. Oh, I am sacrificing my life for the sake of the state. I'm working like an ass, and this is also a sacrifice.
Krishna doesn't mention the ass sacrifice in this series of verses.
You can also make a case that by watching TV you sacrifice because Krishna is actually he is do he is saying this that there is a fire, he's explaining he's taking the metaphor of fire sacrifice and he's saying basically whatever you do can be equated or can be kind of explained through this metaphor of fire sacrifice.
There is a fire and this fire symbolizes knowledge and you put something there, your consciousness, and you know, in this way the sacrifice is going on.
So you can make a case that somebody who is watching TV is also doing some sacrifice. He's putting in the fire of TV he is putting his consciousness. You can make this case. And there is TV sacrifice.
There is also of course nowadays there is this laptop sacrifice or computer sacrifice, internet sacrifice. You're sacrificing your consciousness by being immersed into this, entangled into this web.
Qualities and approach to a guru
But Krishna specifically therefore makes this point that, yajña-vido, in order to get these results, you have to know what you are doing, what yajña or what sacrifice really means.
And therefore, he explains the process: how to become yajña-vido, how to become the knower or expert of sacrifice.
And he says the famous verse, which is actually the main verse in this chapter because this chapter is called uh Transcendental Knowledge and uh in the previous verse Krishna explains how to get this knowledge.
He says: Tadh viddhi pranipātena paripraśnenā sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas explains the process or the method. He explains how to become really how to really obtain this knowledge. What should be the process?
He says: Tadh viddhi pranipātena paripraśnenā sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. You should find guru, you should find and tattva-darśinaḥ you should find guru, you should find and
specifically Prabhupāda starts translating this verse which we read today: having obtained this knowledge from the bonafide guru, you will get this effect that this knowledge will always be with you.
So let's dwell for a few minutes or a few seconds on the previous verse Tadvidi Pranipatana Parikrasnana Sevaya, what Krishna wants to say to us.
He says that you can only obtain knowledge in a true sense of the world from somebody who has two characteristics, who has two basic qualities.
These two basic qualities of a guru, we really have to know because otherwise we will not be able to see who is Guru and who is not.
He says he is jñānī, and jñānī basically means somebody who has knowledge, knowledge of the scriptures.
Jñānīs is somebody who knows the scriptures, who knows the logic of the scriptures, and who can dispel the doubts of his followers. Because so many doubts will be there.
And jñānī, basically, this is explained in another verse of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
Jñānī is someone who knows not just the scripture, not the letter of the scripture, but who knows the internal logic, how scriptures are completely logical, who can explain to you the complete system, who can give you the systematic knowledge so that you will have no doubts whatsoever about this process.
But this is not enough. He says the guru has to have two characteristics, and this is also confirmed by the verse of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, tasmād gurum prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam.
The second characteristic of guru is tattva-darśī, means that not only he should Have theoretical knowledge of the scriptures, he has to be tattva-darśī, literally, this means that he has to see the truth.
Not just know the truth. Not just learn the truth. Not just memorize the truth. Sometimes we think that you know we should just memorize something and that's it.
Krishna says, no, he has to be tattva-darśī. In other words, he has to see the truth as clearly as I see you. He has to see the truths face to face. And specifically, Krishna does not really specify what kind of truth.
The tattva which he uses here is a general term.
And we know that in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the tattva is described in three features. You can know the truth in three features, in Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. So in any case you have to know either one of these.
Either you have to be knower of impersonal Brahman or the spirit, the all-pervading spirit which is there. You have to know. You have to see.
Well, how to see this all-pervading spirit? I don't know, but Krishna says that you have to have real experience that there is this spirit which is pervading everything, which is Brahman and which is the basis of all existence.
Or you have to know or see again Paramātmā. Yogis, through their process of mystic meditation... The perfection of this process of mystic meditation is when they see paramatma. Of course, we also see Paramātmā. He is there.
Paramātmā is the aspect of the Supreme Lord who is also all-pervading, who is in every atom. So yogis through the meditation they have to come to the point when they really see the Lord within their hearts.
And ultimately Bhagavān, Bhagavān you also have to see. Of course, we also see him. He's he's here. He's listening now. What I'm trying to mumble about this knowledge.
But again, the point here is that Krishna specifies that you can only get knowledge from a specific person who has the knowledge of the scriptures and who has experience, who has direct experience of the spiritual reality who is not just theoretical knower of this reality.
And then he says this is the process. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā, upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. You have to find this person.
And you have to have really uh this is not the main point of this verse to find such a person. You have to know who is this person, but you also have to have special qualities within your heart, which is humility.
Basically what Krishna says you have to manifest humility in a very strong way in three features. You have to be humble with your body. When you see such person you just bow down. You just fall down.
Because you see somebody who has direct spiritual experience. And the only proper way to behave towards such a person is to bow down in front of him without any reservations. Which is very difficult in itself.
Actually, it's very difficult for us to bow down.
Yesterday I was in Helsinki in Finland and one person, one devotee was explaining to me his experience how he first time in his life bowed down. He said he came to a church.
And he was he was in a very bad crisis in his life. He was in a really bad shape and he came just because of desperation. In despair, he came to the church. And somebody told him, bow down.
And he said, this was the most difficult feat in my whole life. You know, I was I was trying to to go there but I couldn't do this.
He said when finally I did this I felt some relief but it was so difficult for me to do it. So the first thing and Krishna says this is the first thing. And this is the simplest.
Because to bow down or to be humble with the body is a simple thing. You can fake it very easily.
You know, after some time, you know, first time it's difficult, second time it's difficult, this third time is easier, and then you can just do it. Boom, boom, boom, boom. No problem.
And you forget that this is actually humility. You're kind of faking it. Then he says, pranipatana pariprasnana, pariprasnana means you ask questions. And that's again humility.
Because to ask questions, usually we think we know everything.
And it's, you know, to ask questions, we can ask questions, but in a very special challenging spirit, you know, to show, to expose something. This kind of questions we are very expert in asking, you know, if somebody is speaking and then we want to expose this fool.
Then we can ask loaded questions or something like this. But Krishna says pariprasnana. And pariprasnana means you become so humble in your speech.
You really become humble that you really you know you ask questions in whole humility and basically it means if you ask questions and if you ask questions in a proper spirit it means that you are ready to follow that what humility in speech means.
You ask some questions, some burning questions which is inside.
And uh at the same time, within yourself you make a resolve that if I get the answer to my question, I will have to follow this answer. No matter how unpleasant this answer will be, I will still have to follow it.
And then uh again uh this can easily be faked. As much as we can fake our bodily humility by expressing us, you know, yeah, I'm so humble. Yeah. Everyone should believe us that we're so humble.
And asking questions you can also fake it. You know, you can just ask questions for the sake of asking questions. But Krishna makes the third condition which is the most difficult, sevā. He says you also have to serve.
And this is the austerity for the mind, or the tapasya, or the humility for the mind.
Before Krishna says that if you are engaged, you have to engage yourself completely, and to engage yourself completely means to engage the body, speech, and the mind. And several service uh is the humility for the mind.
Because if you really serve, if you serve, if you come and serve, this is you know, you you can't fake it. This means you're humble. If you really come and wash or clean the floor, it means that you're really making some endeavors within your mind to become humble.
And Krishna makes this point very strongly. He says, this is the only way to obtain knowledge. Because knowledge comes from up to down. Knowledge is like water. Water never flows up. It doesn't happen, you know.
You try to you know the water always goes down. So in the same way knowledge only goes down and only if somebody is humble. Like that is explained by somebody that Hanumān was listening Bhagavad-gītā.
When Krishna was explaining Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, Hanumān was there and Hanumān was in his full feature on the flag of Arjuna. But Hanuman couldn't understand Bhagavad Gita at all. So the question why?
Because he was up there. And therefore he couldn't figure it out. So to get the knowledge, you have to be down. You have to step down and you have to sit down on the floor in this way.
This is the preliminary process of obtaining knowledge. And Krishna makes this point very strongly. He says the only way to obtain knowledge is to through humility. Because knowledge and pride don't go together.
Because the essence, the very essence of knowledge which Krishna explains in this verse the very ...essence of knowledge is the lack of ahaṅkāra of all sigh or pride. If you're proud you're of course very you know you're very high up.
Like in Russia I don't know if there is this this mm and this um how do you say this uh uh little in Russia there is a special doll for the children. It's made in a special way that the center of weight is down.
And no matter you know, no matter how much you try to to put it down, it always comes up. You know, you put it down, it again comes up. You put it down.
There is a like doll with two two balls there. And you put it down and comes up. Put it down, comes up. So in the same way we are something like this, you know.
Put the ones comes up. Put it down. Never goes really down. But sometime you can force yourself, but it goes up again. So Krishna says that this
pride which forces you to go up always, which forces you to really be proud, this pride is something which is totally, completely, absolutely contrary to real knowledge. Real knowledge only goes together with humility.
Like in Bhagavad-gītā itself, Krishna says, Vidyavinaya sampanibramani gavi hastini, this uh compound is very common in Vedic literature, vidya vinaya. Vidya means knowledge, and vinaya means humility.
If you have knowledge, you're humble. And if you're humble, it means you have knowledge. You cannot separate these two because knowledge means humility. And humility means knowledge. It's basically synonymous.
Because knowledge means the spiritual knowledge means understanding of the greatness of God and how you can obtain this understanding if you are proud. You can't obtain this understanding.
So therefore, Krishna very strongly explains this process how you can obtain this knowledge. You can only obtain this knowledge if you surrender yourself through this process of learning from somebody.
And sometimes people try to avoid it by all means. They try to somehow or other to avoid this uh this process of personal surrender to to a living teacher.
Like there is this very famous Jiddukrishnamurti, philosopher in India who was picked up by theosophical society. They wanted to have him as a head. You know, he was a very genius from his childhood.
And his main teaching was: you don't need Guru. No need of Guru. All knowledge is within you.
Just, you know, you just get rid of the ignorance which is there and the knowledge will be revealed. It's already there within your heart. No need to go to somewhere no need to try to obtain it from somebody.
It's already there just, do it. And he has a lot of followers. It's a very pleasing philosophy, you know. No guru. Indirectly he becomes a guru because he proclaims that no guru, so everyone follows him. He's still a guru.
But at the same time you maintain your pride. Yes.
The knowledge is already within me. But Krishna says no, you have to remove the pride because the pride is tantamount of being ignorant. If you're proud, it means you don't know anything.
It means basically you you don't know you're foolish because you don't know the truth of life. And therefore to obtain the knowledge you have uh to become humble.
Submissive learning versus self-reliant effort
Like in in Vedas there are so many stories about this. In the Upanishads, there is a story about one disciple of a guru, and disciple the guru told the disciple, I will give you knowledge. I will bestow this knowledge.
This knowledge, this transcendental spiritual knowledge will come to your heart. But you... I'll give you 200 cows. And when you come with 500 cows, then I will give you knowledge.
So first you have to go to pasturing grounds and you have to, you know, make these cows and take care of these cows. And this is the way how you obtain the knowledge.
This is the only way, this is the only process through which the knowledge can be obtained. And very interestingly, Krishna then he says, he explains, when he said this verse, he explains this verse which we read today.
Yajñātvā na punar moham evam yāsyasi pāṇḍava.
He explains that when you obtain this knowledge in this way, in the proper way, then moha or illusion will never come. The knowledge will never disappear from your from your consciousness.
So I will explain this, I will try to explain this. There is also a very interesting story in Mahabharata itself about one person called Yavakrit.
This Yavakrit was a son of one uh uh sage who was living in the forest and this Yavakrit was very proud of himself and he
was he grew up uh and uh he became angry you know no nobody would come to him and he was quite ignorant. So anyway, he decided to get knowledge ultimately.
He wasted his young years, he didn't get any knowledge from his father, he didn't get any knowledge from gurus. So he decided to obtain knowledge and uh uh he didn't know how to do it.
So he went to the bank of the river and he started to perform austerities, Tapasya. Heavy, heavy, heavy tapasya. And then Indra came to him and he said, What are you doing? He said, I want to obtain knowledge.
Indra said, you can't obtain knowledge in this way. This is ridiculous. He said, no, no, I will obtain it. I will force the knowledge to come.
My capacity will be so severe, I will be, I will, I will fast and I fast and fast and ultimately I will obtain the knowledge. The force will come. Anyway, next day he comes to the spot where he performs austerities.
And he sees an old man and this old man takes sand in his palms and throws the sand in the river. And this guy Yavakrit he looks and he's doing it again and again and again.
Ultimately he asked, "Uh, dear sir, what are you doing?" He said, "I I need to go to the other bank of the river." And I can swim and there is no boat here. So I'm trying to get to another bank of the river.
He said, "How you going to—this is Ganga. Ganga is a huge river. So he said, "How you're going to go to cross this river?"
He said, "I will make a bridge. You know, I'm putting the sand and I will make a bridge and I will go." Don't bother, you know. Get lost.
No, then started laughing. He said, "You can make bridge by throwing sand into the water? You can make bridge?"
This person looks at him and says, "If you can obtain knowledge by performing tapasya, why can't I make a bridge by throwing the sand? If you think you can do this, why you think I cannot do this? It's the same."
So he said, "If you want to obtain knowledge, go to a guru. No matter who you are, how you know how big you are, how grown up you are, you know, from which country you are, you go to a guru. You become humble and this way knowledge will come to you." And if you obtain the knowledge through this proper channel, through the proper process,
then as Krishna says, jñātvā na punar moha. Moha or illusion will never come to you. Because illusion has a very special feature. Why Krishna says this, that this illusion will never come to us.
And because and it's it's it's really interesting.
Material illusion and spiritual nature
This is the whole thing is very interesting. What is illusion? What I really wanted to speak today about is this nature of illusion. The nature of illusion is very special in this world because
we as living beings, living entities, have three main propensities. By nature every living being has three qualities. Sat, it exists. It is there. We know I'm there.
And then cheat, knowledge, it means that I know that I exist and I know that something else exists around me. And another bliss. So these three propensities are there in every living entity. We want to exist.
No matter what, we do want to exist. We want to know. We always want to obtain knowledge. And we want to be blissful. We want to be happy.
But the Moha illusion which we have, this very special kind of illusion which every living entity has in this material world is that we're trying to realize these three things: sac-cid-ānanda: existence, knowledge, and bliss in matter.
This is the problem. This is the only mistake which we do. Desire to exist is not wrong. Desire to be happy, to be blissful, to enjoy is not wrong. Desire to know is not wrong.
What is wrong is that we are trying to in a very illusory, very bewildering way to realize these desires within matter, which is not possible.
Because by definition, matter doesn't give you eternal knowledge, doesn't give you eternal bliss, doesn't give you eternality. By definition, the matter has completely different characteristics.
And by trying to be here and at the same time to realize this ideal of sac-cid-ānanda. And how we do it? Again, in a very foolish way we do it, in a very special way. What we try to do, it's interesting. We try existence.
We try to prolong our existence. People are trying to do to prolong our existence in many different ways. Because they feel that I'm eternal, I have to be eternal.
So usually what they do in the material world the most common, the most simple and the most practical way of prolonging their existence is to beget children, right? This is how people think. I will live in my son.
I will die, but he will live after me in my daughter. And then my son will begin another son. And another son, and in this way I will live. So what people do, there is this statement in Upaniṣads,
Eko bahu syāt, that Krishna, when he wanted to enjoy, how he wanted to enjoy, he was one. Can somebody who is one, who is totally alone, enjoy? Not possible. You can try it. Doesn't really work.
So even God has to become many. And the Upaniṣad says that the Lord, because he wanted to enjoy, he becomes many. So in the same way we do the same thing. To enjoy, we become many.
I'm one, you know, so I have to get Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī by my left side. Some version of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. And then bahu syāt, many of us, you know, the children will come.
Or people are trying again to extend themselves, to extend their being through the possessions. This instinct, why people try to acquire more and more and more? Why do they feel so good about acquiring more?
Why people want to become, you know, dictator and to possess so much, you know, they don't really need this. I have a uh acquaintance of mine. He's a very rich man, really, he once told me that
I earn so much money within one week that that much money is enough for me and for my whole family to live you know for
so many years—I don't know how many—it's enough just one week of my work is enough brings bring enough money to to exist happily you know for me for all my family he has five children so, you know.
Still, he works like an ass twenty hours a day. You know, he can stop doing it. Because he wants more.
You know, within one week he has enough money to live happily till the rest of his life and the life of his children and grandchildren and grand-grandchildren and God knows how many generations more.
Every week he gets something like ten million dollars. That's his you know that's his earning, so to speak. But he wants more and more and more and more. Why? Because in this way he expands himself.
And in this way he feels protected. Everyone wants this protection of existence. We want existence. And we basically want to imitate Vishnu. Because Vishnu means all pervading.
We also want to become all pervading through this process. Why people want fame? Because that gives them illusion of being all pervading Vishnu. Everyone speaks about me. Everyone thinks about me.
It means that I'm everywhere. If I have so much money, so much possession, it means this is how I extend myself
and this is called moha. You know, this is called moha, the definition of this very important term of our philosophy, illusion, moha means that we transform our consciousness.
Our consciousness is essentially spiritual, it's spiritual by nature. But we identify our consciousness with matter and we try to realize our goals or our existence within matter.
And this moha is really the source of all our miseries. Because no matter how much we try to do it, Will it work? It will never work. You can never become eternal in this world. You can never get knowledge in this world.
You can never be happy in this world. Because the nature of this world is asat, achit and nirānanda. We want to have sat, chita, ananda, but the very nature of matter is Asat, Achita, Nirananda.
So what Krishna says, he says very interesting thing.
Lasting impact of authentic spiritual experience
If you became if you become humble, if you really get the spiritual knowledge, which means humility, which means the real understanding of your spirit, if you get it through the proper process of surrendering yourself to the real Guru.
If this happens, then your moha, your illusion is dispelled.
And when the moha or illusion is dispelled, basically you obtain the positive knowledge because the ignorance doesn't really exist. The darkness doesn't really exist. Can you create darkness as a separate substance?
Like now. Can you create darkness here? Ah yeah. Like this. This is the only way. The only way to create darkness is to get rid of light. Darkness doesn't exist as a separate substance, it's a lack of light.
In the same way, the spiritual knowledge is the light and the darkness doesn't exist when the spiritual knowledge comes.
As soon as the real spiritual knowledge comes, which you obtain through this real process of Tangidi pranipadana parikrisnana sevaya, upadechantity It can never go away.
Because it's there, the darkness is not there anymore. It's not, you're not covered, your consciousness is not covered by this darkness. As soon as you get it, you get it. You will never be able to forget it.
It's an amazing thing, and I think there is a very good case for this verse in the experience of Iskone or in our spiritual preaching or whatever, we can see that people and I I have seen it again and again and again people who come in contact with the spiritual knowledge.
And who really were in the process, in the real process, at least for a short while, who really tried to surrender themselves and through the surrendering process, got some sense of spiritual experience. They can never go away from the movement.
They try. Sometimes they try very hard. No matter how hard they try, they come back again. Because as Krishna says, this moha is dispelled.
You can never again get your consciousness covered to the same extent that you are so bewildered that you are again trying to realize yourself within the matter. You know it's useless.
If you get little experience of this, little glimpse of real spiritual knowledge through this real spiritual practice, then yes, I exist and I am not separate, I'm a part and parcel of God.
Basically what Krishna explaining here that when you remove your ahaṅkāra, an ahaṅkāra, this false notion of separate existence from the Lord. I am independent on the Lord.
If you remove this ahaṅkāra, which is nothing but ignorance.
If you really understand that I am dependent on the Lord and there is Supreme Lord who is controlling everything and basically He is controlling me and we have so much experience of this.
So much, you know, if we really become little humble, and humility is the preliminary condition for this, we get immediately this experience that there is force which is behind everything which is happening with me.
I am not on my own. I am not alone. I am not really in control of my life. There is some force which is controlling my life in a very intelligent manner.
And no matter what I try, you know, I try to do this, I try still this force is there. There is this will, will of the Lord which is there.
If this knowledge which comes through humility comes to you, it will never go away. You will always feel this connection that the Lord is there somewhere.
You know I I I saw some people, some devotees, who were trying because they they were trying really, you know, they were trying to go back and enjoy and they were trying hard to enjoy and enjoy and enjoy. It didn't work.
You know, they try to enjoy soul matter. It just doesn't have taste. And they try hard. And harder and harder and harder. But there's no taste. They try to squeeze it and squeeze it and squeeze it. There is no taste.
Because the taste is in spirit.
The real taste is in spirit, and if you obtain this taste of eternity, taste of eternal of being eternal servant of the Lord, of being eternal pass and pastors of the Lord, of being connected with the Lord.
You will never be able to forget this. Nārada Muni, he explains this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the first canton of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He says that if the body goes away and he wanders somewhere there.
He says he is still not fallen. Because Rasadraha, he says, this devotee, he keeps within the taste. And no matter what he tries to do, he still sooner or later he will come back.
There is no there is no way because you cannot run away from Krishna, he's everywhere. Even if you try, you know how you can try away, you know even if you go to the North Pole, Krishna is still there.
You try to hide yourself. But Krishna is there. He is within your heart. There was this story about one disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda from America. He was so fed out, he had some bad experiences, so he wanted to run away.
But you know he was trying to do something but everyone somehow or other, you know, everyone was reminding him about Krishna. So he decided he go to Alaska. And Alaska is the you know northmost state in America.
So he went to Alaska. So first person whom he saw in the airport was a devotee who was distributing Bagod. So he was running. The first one who approached him was someone with Bhagavad Gītā, but oh they're everywhere.
Anyway, he still he still had some hope.
He went to a hotel room and he locked himself in the hotel room and he was so happy he thought finally finally now I will just get rid of this you know nightmare and he turned on the TV set.
And there was Harinam party on the TV. And then he thought, no, that's it, that's useless. I can't run away. So basically that's what Krishna says. If you got this little taste, you can't find taste in anything else.
Because you only realize you can only realize your tendency, your innermost tendencies of Saccidānanda within spirit.
And if you got this experience, uh no matter how hard you try, how hard you try again to put yourself in the illusion, you understand it's crazy, it's stupid, it does not work. It doesn't work, you know.
It it just doesn't work.
Therefore Krishna he very you know very encouragingly says here to all of us that if you get this knowledge and here in this particular verse, by knowledge he means some experience. Therefore, to get the experience you need to approach somebody who has the same experience, who has the real spiritual experience. If you get this real heart to heart spiritual experience then
Seeing all living entities in Krishna
yājñātvā na punar moham evam yāsyasi pāṇḍava stresses this again, evam, never, yāsyasi pāṇḍava. In this way, if you get it in this way, Evam also means in this way.
If you get this in this way, this knowledge, then never moha will come to you. yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi. Ātmany atho mayi. He says that you will see everyone as a part and parcel of Krishna.
You will not relate to anyone. Not only you see and understand your own spiritual nature, but you will be able to see, you will be able to see everyone as the spirit sparks, as the souls.
And you will be able to relate to everyone, not as a lump of matter whom you want to exploit, but as a spirit soul which eternally belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
And this is the vision which can bring immediately peace and harmony within your heart and make you happy.
And uh uh this is basically the lesson of this verse which I wanted to explain that the real spiritual experience when it comes, it can never be covered again.
The only condition of covering, the only thing which which uh can cover it again is severe offenses which we may commit then we may forget the taste.
But basically under normal circumstances people when this real knowledge is revealed, when they really get in contact within themselves, with the spiritual nature, with their own spiritual nature, when they understand that they are eternal, blissful and all-knowing spiritual beings, then this knowledge will never be forgotten, can never be forgotten.
Because this is the real experience of life. Whereas any other knowledge, material knowledge will evaporate, as I said, immediately. Because it has a completely different nature.
The material knowledge has the nature of ignorance, but this is the real knowledge which has the nature of light and this light will always be there as soon as we get the glimpse of this light from the mouth of self-realized soul. Real spiritual master.
Okay, I think it's uh enough for tonight. Is there any questions to this point