https:\/\/girirajswami.com\/blog\/?p=15194<\/a><\/p>\nThe Bhagavad-gita<\/em> is also known as the Gitopanishad<\/em> and is considered one of the Upanishads. The title Bhagavad-gita<\/em> is sometimes translated as \u201cThe Song of God.\u201d Gita<\/em> means \u201csong.\u201d God, Krishna, is so sublime that whatever He speaks is music and poetry. The word bhagavan<\/em> has been analyzed by Vedic authorities. Bhaga<\/em> means \u201copulence\u201d and is related to the word bhagya<\/em>: \u201cgood fortune.\u201d And van<\/em> means \u201cone who possesses.\u201d So bhagavan<\/em> means \u201cHe who possesses all opulence in full.\u201d<\/p>\naisvaryasya samagrasya
<\/em>viryasya yasasah sriyah
<\/em>jnana-vairagyayos caiva
<\/em>sannam bhaga itingana<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cFull wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation\u2014these are the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\u201d (Vishnu Purana<\/em> 6.5.47)<\/p>\nAll of us possess some wealth. I may have ten dollars, but if I look I will find someone who has a hundred dollars. And if I look further, I will find someone who has a thousand dollars, and a million, and a billion. But no one can say that he has all the wealth in all creation, that no one is equal to or greater than him in wealth. When we come to that person who has all wealth\u2014no one is equal to or greater than him\u2014that is Bhagavan, Krishna.<\/p>\n
The Bhagavad-gita<\/em> was originally spoken by Krishna to Arjuna. As stated in the Gita<\/em> (4.1),<\/p>\n sri-bhagavan uvaca
<\/em>imam vivasvate yogam
<\/em>proktavan aham avyayam
<\/em>vivasvan manave praha
<\/em>manur iksvakave \u2019bravit<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThe Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga<\/em> to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.\u201d In this way, the knowledge was passed on through disciplic succession from one to the next to the next. But in the course of time, that chain became broken.<\/p>\nevam parampara-praptam
<\/em>imam rajarsayo viduh
<\/em>sa kaleneha mahata
<\/em>yogo nastah parantapa<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThis supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 4.2) Nasta<\/em> means \u201cspoiled.\u201d You may have a nice plate of prasada<\/em>, but if you leave it aside and it becomes old and contaminated, it becomes nasta<\/em>, spoiled. It is food, but you don\u2019t get the benefit. To get the real benefit of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, one must receive it through parampara<\/em> (evam parampara-praptam<\/em> imam rajarsayo viduh<\/em>).<\/p>\nFive thousand years ago, Lord Krishna detected that the chain was broken and that, consequently, the knowledge was lost. So He came again and spoke the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> again, to Arjuna: \u201cNow, Arjuna, you become the first recipient of this knowledge in the new chain, so that the knowledge is received and presented as it is.\u201d Srila Prabhupada called his translation of the Gita<\/em> the Bhagavad-gita As It Is<\/em>. \u201cAs it is\u201d means as Krishna spoke it five thousand years ago and as Arjuna understood it.<\/p>\n<\/span>How did Arjuna understand it? First, he accepted Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead:<\/p>\n arjuna uvaca
<\/em>param brahma param dhama
pavitram paramam bhavan
<\/em>purusam sasvatam divyam
<\/em>adi-devam ajam vibhum<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cArjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 10.12)<\/p>\nAnd he accepted everything that Krishna said as true: sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava<\/em>\u2014\u201cO Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 10.14) \u201cI accept whatever You say, in toto.\u201d He did not discriminate that he liked some parts of the Gita<\/em> and not other parts. Sarvam etad rtam manye<\/em>: \u201cI accept in toto everything that You have said.\u201d<\/p>\nIf we begin to discriminate, \u201cI like this portion, but I don\u2019t like that portion,\u201d we become implicated in ardha-kukkuti-nyaya<\/em>, \u201chalf-hen\u201d logic. A farmer had a hen that was laying eggs. But the farmer thought that only the hind portion was valuable, because that part was giving eggs, but that the neck portion was simply troublesome, because it just ate food. He concluded, \u201cI will cut the neck portion, which is just a botheration, and keep the hind portion, which gives eggs.\u201d And when he did, of course, the hen died and there were no more eggs.<\/p>\nOne verse in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> that is popular among some people states, karmany evadhikaras te<\/em>: \u201cYou are entitled to do your duty.\u201d They think, \u201cI can do my duty. I can go to work. I can make and spend money. I can take care of my family, live with my family, enjoy with my family and friends. That is a precious instruction.\u201d But when they come to sarva-dharman parityajya<\/em> mam ekam saranam vraja<\/em>\u2014give up all varieties of religiousness and surrender to Krishna\u2014that is a little troublesome, and they want to cut that part: \u201cWe don\u2019t really need it. We\u2019ll just keep the really valuable part: I can do my duty.\u201d<\/p>\nIn order to get the full benefit of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, it is essential to accept it as it is. Devotees who have accepted it as it is and applied its principles in their lives have undergone extraordinary transformations. This knowledge can really help people. And any genuine person who gets something good will naturally want to share it with others. Anyone who has imbibed the nectar of the Bhagavad-<\/em>gita<\/em>, gotten the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, will want to share the knowledge with others. It is natural. If you are eating a nice plate of prasada<\/em> and taste something really good, it is natural to say, \u201cYou should try this; it\u2019s really good.\u201d Anyone\u2014any child\u2014will do that. So, when you actually experience the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> in your life, you will naturally want to share the knowledge with others so that they too can benefit and become happy.<\/p>\nNow, why did Krishna choose Arjuna to be the first student of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>? Arjuna was not a sannyasi. He was a married man. And he was not a brahman. He was a warrior. Why Arjuna? Krishna explains,<\/p>\nsa evayam maya te \u2019dya
<\/em>yogah proktah puratanah
<\/em>bhakto \u2019si me sakha ceti
<\/em>rahasyam hy etad uttamam<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThat very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 4.3) The main qualification for understanding the Gita<\/em> is bhakto \u2019si me<\/em>, to be Lord Krishna\u2019s devotee. And later Krishna says that one should hear the Gita<\/em> with faith and without envy (sraddhavan anasuyas ca srnuyad api yo narah<\/em>). (Gita<\/em> 18.71) This is a crucial point: to get the true benefit of the Gita<\/em>, one must be a devotee.<\/p>\nWhat does it mean to be a devotee? Sometimes the word devotee<\/em> is used quite broadly. To begin, let us understand devotee<\/em> in contrast to karmi<\/em>, jnani<\/em>, and yogi<\/em>. These are all technical (as well as general) terms. A karmi engages in fruitive work. He works for personal gain: \u201cI have worked and earned. Now I have the right to enjoy the fruit.\u201d That is 90 percent of the world. People work, and they feel, \u201cI have earned the money, so I have the right to spend it\u2014on myself, on my family, on my community, on my country\u201d (or whatever limited or extended concept of sense gratification they have). But the Gita<\/em> says no. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana<\/em>: \u201cYou have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 2.47) The fruits belong to Krishna.<\/p>\nIf you invite a carpenter to your house and give him wood and nails and glue\u2014everything he needs\u2014and say, \u201cI want you to build me a cabinet,\u201d in the end, to whom does the cabinet belong\u2014to the carpenter or to you? It belongs to the proprietor, not the worker. The worker has assembled the ingredients supplied by the proprietor, but that doesn\u2019t make him the owner.<\/p>\n
This entire material creation, this entire cosmic manifestation\u2014the elements are provided by Krishna. The earth we tread; the water we drink; the air we breathe; the fire, or electricity, we use\u2014everything belongs to Him, and we cannot rightly claim any of it for ourselves. We may assemble the elements in different ways, but it all belongs to Krishna and is meant to be used for His purposes.<\/p>\n
A karmi engages in work and wants to keep the fruits for himself. A karma-yogi engages in work but gives the fruits to Krishna. A man may grow a tree that produces fruits. A karmi will keep the fruits for himself, whereas a karma-yogi will give the fruits, or some of the fruits, to Krishna. The sakama-karma-yogi<\/em> has selfish desires, but he still gives something to Krishna. If the tree produces a hundred mangoes, he may give one or two or ten or twenty to Krishna. And as he becomes purified, as he develops more faith and becomes more attached to Krishna, he will give more to Krishna. Eventually he may give all one hundred mangoes to Krishna, without any selfish desire (niskama-karma-yoga<\/em>). But he will not be the loser. Krishna will give him His prasada<\/em>, His mercy.<\/p>\nThe jnanis and often the yogis are impersonalists; they believe that God is ultimately impersonal\u2014nameless, formless, without qualities, without activities. They may even go so far as to think that Krishna\u2019s form is material, that just as we have a physical body made of flesh and bones and blood, so does Krishna. And according to them, if Krishna is material, then His name, form, qualities, and activities are also all material. People may chant His name, but ultimately they have to go beyond that. People may worship His form, but they have to go beyond that. People may talk about His qualities and activities, but they have to go beyond that. Ultimately, according to them, we have to go beyond all these illusory forms and names and come to the all-pervading impersonal light and merge and become one with it. Then there is no you, no me, no Krishna\u2014nothing. Just oneness.<\/p>\n
In theory, that is also a possibility. But it is very rare to achieve that state, and very difficult. Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> (12.2\u20137):<\/p>\nmayy avesya mano ye mam
<\/em>nitya-yukta upasate
<\/em>sraddhaya parayopetas
<\/em>te me yuktatama matah<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThose who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.<\/p>\n
ye tv aksaram anirdesyam
<\/em>avyaktam paryupasate
<\/em>sarvatra-gam acintyam ca
<\/em>kuta-stham acalam dhruvam<\/em><\/p>\nsanniyamyendriya-gramam
<\/em>sarvatra sama-buddhayah
<\/em>te prapnuvanti mam eva
<\/em>sarva-bhuta-hite ratah<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cBut those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, unchanging, fixed and immovable\u2014the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth\u2014by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me.<\/p>\n
kleso \u2019dhikataras tesam
<\/em>avyaktasakta-cetasam
<\/em>avyakta hi gatir duhkham
<\/em>dehavadbhir avapyate<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cFor those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.<\/p>\n
ye tu sarvani karmani
<\/em>mayi sannyasya mat-parah
<\/em>ananyenaiva yogena
<\/em>mam dhyayanta upasate<\/em><\/p>\ntesam aham samuddharta
<\/em>mrtyu-samsara-sagarat
<\/em>bhavami na cirat partha
<\/em>mayy avesita-cetasam<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cBut those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Prtha\u2014for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only is the impersonal path difficult, but the result is not very satisfying, because ultimately everyone wants happiness and love. The two most basic human needs are to love and to be loved. We want friends, we want family, and we want community; we are not happy without them. If you were a billionaire but could never see another living being, would you be happy? No. You would be so desperate for company, for relationship, that you would say, \u201cI don\u2019t want this wealth. I just want to be with people I love and who love me.\u201d In a way, this was Arjuna\u2019s thinking at the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>. He considered, \u201cWhat is the use of winning a kingdom if in the course of the battle all my friends and family die? What\u2019s the use? With whom will I enjoy my kingdom?\u201d The thought of being without family and friends so overwhelmed Arjuna that he said to Krishna,<\/p>\nna hi prapasyami mamapanudyad
<\/em>yac chokam ucchosanam indriyanam
<\/em>avapya bhumav asapatnam rddham
<\/em>rajyam suranam api cadhipatyam<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like that of the demigods in heaven.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 2.8)<\/p>\nThere is much truth to what Arjuna said at the beginning of the Gita<\/em>, but that truth is on a lower level. And by the mercy of Lord Krishna, after hearing the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, Arjuna was elevated to a higher, better understanding. He came to realize that perfect happiness and love are to be realized in relation to Krishna, and so Arjuna surrendered unto Him.<\/p>\nKrishna gave Arjuna the choice. Krishna did not force him, because true surrender, or true love, must be voluntary. He gave Arjuna the freedom to deliberate and then decide:<\/p>\n
iti te jnanam akhyatam<\/em>
guhyad guhyataram maya
<\/em>vimrsyaitad asesena
<\/em>yathecchasi tatha kuru<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 18.63) Yathecchasi tatha kuru<\/em>\u2014\u201cYou can do whatever you like.\u201d We all have free will, given to us by God. But after hearing the Bhagavad<\/em>-gita<\/em>, Arjuna immediately responded, karisye vacanam tava<\/em>: \u201cI will do whatever You say.\u201d That is the position of the surrendered devotee.<\/p>\n arjuna uvaca
<\/em>nasto mohah smrtir labdha
<\/em>tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
<\/em>sthito \u2019smi gata-sandehah<\/em>
karisye vacanam tava<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cArjuna said: My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 18.73)<\/p>\nNow, we may be a little worried. We are back to that troublesome sloka<\/em>, sarva-dharman parityajya<\/em> mam ekam saranam vraja<\/em>: \u201cAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.\u201d And we may wonder, \u201cWhat are the implications of karisye vacanam tava<\/em>: \u2018I am prepared to act according to Your instructions\u2019? What if Krishna tells me to give up my wife, my children, my business, my home? Then what?\u201d This is a problematic question, and some people may not want to pursue the course of surrender to Krishna, because they are afraid of the consequences.<\/p>\nBut there is some leniency here, some considerateness. Lord Krishna gives us a gradual process to come to the stage of surrender, because surrender is based on faith. When we have faith in someone or something, we can surrender. If we don\u2019t have faith, we won\u2019t surrender. In this present Age of Kali, genuine faith is rare; it is very difficult to come by. Society is materialistic, and everyone is acculturated in the idea that they are independent, free to think and do whatever they like, without restriction. In fact, they are envious. Material life means envy\u2014first of Krishna. People think, \u201cWhy should I surrender to Him? I am also intelligent. I also know things. I can also speak and argue. Why should I surrender?\u201d And people find fault with Krishna: \u201cWhy did He tell Arjuna to fight? Why did He cause so many people to die?\u201d In particular, people who are envious find fault with Krishna. They can never understand the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>. Therefore Lord Krishna says,<\/p>\nidam te natapaskaya
<\/em>nabhaktaya kadacana
<\/em>na casusrusave vacyam
<\/em>na ca mam yo \u2019bhyasuyati<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThis confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 18.67) One must be a devotee, a bhakta. Only devotees are without envy.<\/p>\nStill, Krishna, like a loving father, wants to bring all His sons and daughters to the highest perfection, even though He knows that it may take some time. A parent will want his child to grow to be strong and healthy and happy and intelligent and competent, and to take over the family business. A genuine, loving parent will want to give everything to the child, but the parent first wants to see that the child is responsible enough.<\/p>\n
As I grew up, my father gave me a weekly allowance. My first allowance was five or ten cents. I was just a child, and he wasn\u2019t sure how I would use the money. Eventually he raised my allowance to twenty-five cents. And I felt so proud: \u201cMy father really trusts me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parents want to give to their children, but they also want to see that their children are responsible enough to take care of what they give them. In a similar way, Krishna wants to give us everything\u2014even Himself\u2014but He wants to see that we are qualified.<\/p>\n
Another analogy is a teacher in a classroom. The study of math begins with one plus one equals two. There is much more, but the students proceed step by step: addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, then division\u2014so many processes they have to learn.<\/p>\n
In the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, the first instruction is that you are not the body but the soul within the body. Aham brahmasmi<\/em>. That is the beginning, and if we understand even one line of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, from the very beginning, our lives will change.<\/p>\ndehino \u2019smin yatha dehe
<\/em>kaumaram yauvanam jara
<\/em>tatha dehantara-praptir<\/em>
dhiras tatra na muhyati<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAs the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 2.13) If we just understand that we are not the body but are the atma, the jivatma<\/em>, within the body, that alone is enough to change our whole life. We will no longer act on the basis of the body, for sense gratification, but on the basis of the soul, for self-realization. In today\u2019s materialistic society, one\u2019s whole endeavor is to get things for the body\u2014my body, my wife\u2019s body, my children\u2019s bodies, my parents\u2019 bodies\u2014to make the body comfortable. But the body is just dress for the soul. And which is more important\u2014the clothes or the person wearing the clothes? The person, of course. The body itself is just dress, which changes. The real person is the soul, who exists always.<\/p>\nvasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
<\/em>navani grhnati naro \u2019parani
<\/em>tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
<\/em>anyani samyati navani dehi<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAs a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 2.22)<\/p>\nIf we understand just this one point, we will work for the benefit of the soul, which is our actual self and is part and parcel of the Supreme Self, God, Krishna, knowing that our real relationship is with Him. And then, gradually, step by step, we will come to the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>:<\/p>\nman-mana bhava mad-bhakto
<\/em>mad-yaji mam namaskuru
<\/em>mam evaisyasi satyam te
<\/em>pratijane priyo \u2019si me<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAlways think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 18.65)<\/p>\nsarva-dharman parityajya
<\/em>mam ekam saranam vraja
<\/em>aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
<\/em>moksayisyami ma sucah<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 18.66)<\/p>\nMan-mana<\/em>\u2014always think of Krishna. If you do that, you will naturally become His devotee (mad-bhakto<\/em>). You will worship Him (mad-yaji<\/em>) and offer obeisance unto Him (mam namaskuru<\/em>). It is so simple.<\/p>\nThe critical point is man-mana<\/em>, to always think of Krishna. And how can we always think of Him? In the ninth chapter of the Gita<\/em> Krishna says,<\/p>\nsatatam kirtayanto mam
<\/em>yatantas ca drdha-vratah
<\/em>namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
<\/em>nitya-yukta upasate<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cAlways chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.\u201d (Gita<\/em> 9.14) Satatam kirtayanto mam<\/em>\u2014if we always (satatam<\/em>) engage in glorifying Krishna, chanting His holy name (kirtana<\/em>), we will always think of Him.<\/p>\nWe are Hare Krishna devotees, and we are speaking about the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>. What is the connection? The chanting of Hare Krishna is the real way to follow the instructions of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>. Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the incarnation of Krishna for the present Age of Kali, who inaugurated the Hare Krishna movement five hundred years ago, taught, kirtaniyah sada harih<\/em>: \u201cAlways chant the holy name of Hari [Krishna].\u201d And in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>, Sri Krishna gives the same instruction: satatam kirtayanto mam<\/em>\u2014always engage in kirtan, chanting the holy name of Krishna. The chanting of Hare Krishna is really the fulfillment of Lord Krishna\u2019s ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>: man-mana<\/em>\u2014always think of Krishna. Chanting is the best\u2014and easiest\u2014way to think of Krishna.<\/p>\nOf course, we think of Krishna when we hear about Him from the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> and Srimad-Bhagavatam<\/em>, but for that we need a book or a reader. We think of Krishna when we see His Deity form, His murti<\/em>, but for that we need a temple, a mandir, with a murti<\/em>. There are so many ways of thinking of Krishna, but the beauty of chanting, either kirtan or japa<\/em>, is that we need only our tongue and ears. In the Bhagavad-gita<\/em> (10.25) Lord Krishna recommends, yajnanam japa-yajno \u2019smi<\/em>: \u201cOf sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa<\/em>].\u201d This, anyone can do. Young or old, black or white, man or woman, educated or uneducated\u2014anyone and everyone can chant Hare Krishna and fulfill Krishna\u2019s instruction in the Bhagavad-gita<\/em>.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n