Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (122 page)

Bg 18.55

TEXT 55

TEXT

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti

yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ

tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā

viśate tad-anantaram

SYNONYMS

bhaktyā-
by pure devotional service;
mām-
Me;
abhijānāti-
one can know;
yāvān-
as much as;
yaḥ ca asmi-
as I am;
tattvataḥ-
in truth;
tataḥ-
thereafter;
mām-
Me;
tattvataḥ-
by truth;
jñātvā-
knowing;
viśate-
enters;
tat-
thereafter;
anantaram-
after

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His plenary portions cannot be understood by mental speculation nor by the nondevotees. If anyone wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has to take to pure devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee. Otherwise, the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will always be hidden. It is already stated
(nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ)
that He is not revealed to everyone. Everyone cannot understand God simply by erudite scholarship or mental speculation. Only one who is actually engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service can understand what Kṛṣṇa is. University degrees are not helpful.

One who is fully conversant with the Kṛṣṇa science becomes eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Becoming Brahman does not mean that one loses his identity. Devotional service is there, and as long as devotional service exists, there must be God, the devotee, and the process of devotional service. Such knowledge is never vanquished, even after liberation. Liberation involves getting free from the concept of material life; in spiritual life the same distinction is there, the same individuality is there, but in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should not misunderstand that the word
viśate
, "enters into Me," supports the monist theory that one becomes homogeneous with the impersonal Brahman. No.
Viśate
means that one can enter into the abode of the Supreme Lord in his individuality to engage in His association and render service unto Him. For instance, a green bird enters a green tree not to become one with the tree but to enjoy the fruits of the tree. Impersonalists generally give the example of a river flowing into the ocean and merging. This may be a source of happiness for the impersonalist, but the personalist keeps his personal individuality like an aquatic in the ocean. We find so many living entities within the ocean, if we go deep. Surface acquaintance with the ocean is not sufficient; one must have complete knowledge of the aquatics living in the ocean depths.

Because of his pure devotional service, a devotee can understand the transcendental qualities and the opulences of the Supreme Lord in truth. As it is stated in the Eleventh Chapter, only by devotional service can one understand. The same is confirmed here; one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotional service and enter into His kingdom.

After attainment of the
brahma-bhūta
stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins by one's hearing about the Lord. When one hears about the Supreme Lord, automatically the
brahma-bhūta
stage develops, and material contamination-greediness and lust for sense enjoyment-disappears. As lust and desires disappear from the heart of a devotee, he becomes more attached to the service of the Lord, and by such attachment he becomes free from material contamination. In that state of life he can understand the Supreme Lord. This is the statement of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
also. Also after liberation the process of
bhakti
or transcendental service continues. The
Vedānta-sūtra
confirms this:
āprāyaṇāt tatrāpi hi dṛṣṭam.
This means that after liberation the process of devotional service continues. In the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
real devotional liberation is defined as the reinstatement of the living entity in his own identity, his own constitutional position. The constitutional position is already explained: every living entity is the part and parcel fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord. Therefore his constitutional position is to serve. After liberation, this service is never stopped. Actual liberation is getting free from misconceptions of life.

Bg 18.56

TEXT 56

TEXT

sarva-karmāṇy api sadā

kurvāṇo mad-vyapāśrayaḥ

mat-prasādād avāpnoti

śāśvataṁ padam avyayam

SYNONYMS

sarva-
all;
karmāṇi-
activities;
api-
although;
sadā
-always;
kurvāṇaḥ-
performing;
mat-
under My;
vyapāśrayah-
protection;
mat-
My;
prasādāt-
mercy;
avāpnoti-
achieves;
sāśvatam-
eternal;
padam-
abode;
avyayam-
-imperishable.

TRANSLATION

Though engaged in all kinds of activities, My devotee, under My protection, reaches the eternal and imperishable abode by My grace.

PURPORT

The word
mad-vyapāśrayaḥ
means under the protection of the Supreme Lord. To be free from material contamination, a pure devotee acts under the direction of the Supreme Lord or His representative, the spiritual master. There is no time limitation for a pure devotee. He is always, twenty-four hours, one hundred percent engaged in activities under the direction of the Supreme Lord. To a devotee who is thus engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness the Lord is very, very kind. In spite of all difficulties, he is eventually placed in the transcendental abode, or Kṛṣṇaloka. He is guaranteed entrance there; there is no doubt about it. In that supreme abode, there is no change; everything is eternal, imperishable and full of knowledge.

Bg 18.57

TEXT 57

TEXT

cetasā sarva-karmāṇi

mayi sannyasya mat-paraḥ

buddhi-yogam upāśritya

mac-cittaḥ satataṁ bhava

SYNONYMS

cetasā-
by intelligence;
sarva-karmāni-
all kinds of activities;
mayi-
unto Me;
sannyasya-
giving up;
mat-paraḥ-
My protection;
buddhi-yogam-
devotional activities;
upāśritya-
taking shelter of;
mat-cittaḥ-
consciousness;
satatam-
twenty-four hours a day;
bhava-
just become.

TRANSLATION

In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.

PURPORT

When one acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not act as the master of the world. Just like a servant, one should act fully under the direction of the Supreme Lord. A servant has no individual independence. He acts only on the order of the master. A servant acting on behalf of the supreme master has no affection for profit and loss. He simply discharges his duty faithfully in terms of the order of the Lord. Now, one may argue that Arjuna was acting under the personal direction of Kṛṣṇa, but, when Kṛṣṇa is not present, how should one act? If one acts according to the direction of Kṛṣṇa in this book, as well as under the guidance of the representative of Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be the same. The Sanskrit word
mat-paraḥ
is very important in this verse. It indicates that one has no goal in life save and except acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness just to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. And, while working in that way, one should think of Kṛṣṇa only: "I have been appointed to discharge this particular duty by Kṛṣṇa." While acting in such a way, one naturally has to think of Kṛṣṇa. This is perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should, however, note that, after doing something whimsically, he should not offer the result to the Supreme Lord. That sort of duty is not in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should act according to the order of Krṣna. This is a very important point. That order of Kṛṣṇa comes through disciplic succession from the bona fide spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master's order should be taken as the prime duty of life. If one gets a bona fide spiritual master and acts according to his direction, then his perfection of life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is guaranteed.

Bg 18.58

TEXT 58

TEXT

mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi

mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi

atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān

na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi

SYNONYMS

mat-
My;
cittaḥ-
consciousness;
sarva-
all;
durgāṇi-
impediments;
mat-
My;
prasādāt-
My mercy;
tariṣyasi-
you will overcome;
atha-
therefore;
cet-
if;
tvam-
you;
ahaṅkārāt-
by false ego;
na
-not;
śroṣyasi
-do not hear;
vinaṅkṣyasi
-then lose yourself.

TRANSLATION

If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.

PURPORT

A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not unduly anxious to execute the duties of his existence. The foolish cannot understand this great freedom from all anxiety. For one who acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Lord Kṛṣṇa becomes the most intimate friend. He always looks after His friend's comfort, and He gives Himself to His friend, who is so devotedly engaged working twenty-four hours a day to please the Lord. Therefore, no one should be carried away by the false ego of the bodily concept of life. One should not falsely think himself independant of the laws of material nature or free to act. He is already under strict material laws. But, as soon as he acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is liberated, free from the material perplexities. One should note very carefully that one who is not active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is losing himself in the material whirlpool, in the ocean of birth and death. No conditioned soul actually knows what is to be done and what is not to be done, but a person who acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is free to act because everything is prompted by Kṛṣṇa from within and confirmed by the spiritual master.

Bg 18.59

TEXT 59

TEXT

yad ahaṅkāram āśritya

na yotsya iti manyase

mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te

prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati

SYNONYMS

yat-
therefore;
ahaṅkāram-
false ego;
āśritya-
taking shelter;
na-
not;
yotsya-
shall fight;
iti-
thus;
manyase-
think;
mithyā eṣaḥ-
this is all false;
vyavasāyah te-
your determination;
prakṛtiḥ-
material nature;
tvām-
you;
niyokṣyati-
will engage you.

TRANSLATION

If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.

PURPORT

Arjuna was a military man, and born of the nature of the
kṣatriya.
Therefore his natural duty was to fight. But, due to false ego, he was fearing that by killing his teacher, grandfather and friends, there would be sinful reactions. Actually he was considering himself master of his actions, as if he were directing the good and bad results of such work. He forgot that the Supreme Personality of Godhead was present there, instructing him to fight. That is the forgetfulness of the conditioned soul. The Supreme Personality gives directions as to what is good and what is bad, and one simply has to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to attain the perfection of life. No one can ascertain his destiny as the Supreme Lord can; therefore the best course is to take direction from the Supreme Lord and act. No one should neglect the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the order of the spiritual master who is the representative of God. One should act unhesitatingly to execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead-that will keep him safe under all circumstances.

Bg 18.60

TEXT 60

TEXT

svabhāva-jena kaunteya

nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā

kartuṁ necchasi yan mohāt

kariṣyasy avaśo 'pi tat

SYNONYMS

sva-bhāva-jena
-by one's own nature;
kaunteya
-O son of Kuntī;
nibaddhaḥ
-conditioned;
svena
-by one's own;
karmaṇā
-activities;
kartum
-to do;
na
-not;
icchasi
-like;
yat
-that;
mohāt
-by illusion;
kariṣyasi
-you will act;
avaśaḥ
-imperceptibly;
api
-even;
tat
-that.

TRANSLATION

Under illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But, compelled by your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of Kuntī.

PURPORT

If one refuses to act under the direction of the Supreme Lord, then he is compelled to act by the modes in which he is situated. Everyone is under the spell of a particular combination of the modes of nature and is acting in that way. But anyone who voluntarily engages himself under the direction of the Supreme Lord becomes glorious.