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Bhagavad-gītā AsItIs

Bhagavad-gītāAsItIs

COMPLETEEDITIONwithoriginalSanskrittext,

Romantransliteration,Englishequivalents,translationandelaboratepurports

HisDivineGraceA.C.BhaktivedantaSwamiPrabhupādaFounder-ĀcāryaoftheInternationalSocietyforKrishnaConsciousness

CollierBooks,NewYorkCollierMacmillanPublishers,London

Copyright©1972byHisDivineGraceA.C.BhaktivedantaSwamiPrabhupāda

ReadersinterestedinthesubjectmatterofthisbookareinvitedbytheInternationalSocietyfor

KrishnaConsciousnesstocorrespondwithitsSecretary.

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Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionfromthePublisher.

FirstCollierBooksEdition1972ThirdPrinting1973

Bhagavad-gītāAsItIsisalsopublishedinahardcovereditionbytheMacmillanCompany.

MacmillanPublishingCo.,Inc.Collier-MacmillanCanadaLtd.

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

ToŚRĪLABALADEVAVIDYĀBHŪṢAṆA

whopresentedsonicelythe"Govinda-bhāṣya"commentary

onVedāntaphilosophy

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Preface

IntroductionCHAPTERONEObservingtheArmiesonthe BattlefieldofKurukṣetra

CHAPTERTWOContentsoftheGītāSummarized

CHAPTERTHREEKarma-yoga

CHAPTERFOURTranscendentalKnowledge

CHAPTERFIVEKarma-yoga—ActioninKṛṣṇaConsciousness

CHAPTERSIXSāṅkhya-yoga

CHAPTERSEVENKnowledgeoftheAbsolute

CHAPTEREIGHTAttainingtheSupreme

Foreword

CHAPTERNINETheMostConfidentialKnowledge

CHAPTERTENTheOpulenceoftheAbsolute

CHAPTERELEVENTheUniversalForm

CHAPTERTWELVEDevotionalService

CHAPTERTHIRTEENNature,theEnjoyer,andConsciousness

CHAPTERFOURTEENTheThreeModesofMaterialNature

CHAPTERFIFTEENTheYogaoftheSupremePerson

CHAPTERSIXTEENTheDivineandDemoniacNatures

CHAPTERSEVENTEENTheDivisionsofFaith

CHAPTEREIGHTEENConclusion—ThePerfectionofRenunciation

ForewordTheBhagavad-gītāisthebestknownandthemostfrequentlytranslated

ofVedicreligioustexts.WhyitshouldbesoappealingtotheWesternmindisaninterestingquestion.Ithasdrama,foritssettingisasceneoftwogreatarmies,bannersflying,drawnupoppositeoneanotheronthefield,poisedforbattle.Ithasambiguity,andthefactthatArjunaandhischarioteerKṛṣṇaare carrying on their dialogue between the two armies suggests theindecisionofArjunaaboutthebasicquestion:shouldheenterbattleagainstand kill those who are friends and kinsmen? It has mystery, as KṛṣṇademonstratestoArjunaHiscosmicform.Ithasaproperlycomplicatedviewofthewaysofthereligiouslifeandtreatsofthepathsofknowledge,works,discipline and faith and their inter-relationships, problems that havebothered adherents of other religions in other times and places. Thedevotionspokenofisadeliberatemeansofreligioussatisfaction,notamereoutpouringofpoeticemotion.Next totheBhāgavata-purāṇa,a longworkfrom South India, the Gītā is the text most frequently quoted in thephilosophical writings of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava school, the schoolrepresented by SwamiBhaktivedanta as the latest in a long succession ofteachers. It can be said that this school of Vaiṣṇavism was founded, orrevived, by Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Mahāprabhu (1486-1533) in Bengal, andthatit iscurrentlythestrongestsinglereligiousforceintheeasternpartoftheIndiansubcontinent.TheGauḍiyaVaiṣṇavaschool,forwhomKṛṣṇaisHimselftheSupremeGod,andnotmerelyanincarnationofanotherdeity,seesbhaktiasanimmediateandpowerfulreligiousforce,consistingoflovebetweenmanandGod.Itsdisciplineconsistsofdevotingallone'sactionstotheDeity,andonelistenstothestoriesofKṛṣṇafromthesacredtexts,onechantsKṛṣṇa'sname,washes,bathes,anddressesthemūrtiofKṛṣṇa,feedsHimandtakestheremainsof thefoodofferedtoHim,thusabsorbingHisgrace;onedoes these thingsandmanymore,untilonehasbeenchanged:thedevoteehasbecome transformed intooneclose toKṛṣṇa,andsees theLordfacetoface.

SwamiBhaktivedantacommentsupontheGītāfromthispointofview,andthatislegitimate.Morethanthat,inthistranslationtheWesternreaderhastheuniqueopportunityofseeinghowaKrsnadevoteeinterpretshisowntexts.ItistheVedicexegeticaltradition,justlyfamous,inaction.Thisbookis then a welcome addition frommany points of view. It can serve as avaluabletextbookfor thecollegestudent.Itallowsusto listentoaskilledinterpreterexplicatingatextwhichhasprofoundreligiousmeaning.Itgivesus insights into the original and highly convincing ideas of the Gauḍiya

Vaiṣṇava school. In providing the Sanskrit in both Devanagari andtransliteration,itofferstheSanskritspecialisttheopportunitytore-interpret,ordebateparticularSanskritmeanings–although I think therewillbe littledisagreement about the quality of the Swami's Sanskrit scholarship. Andfinally, for the nonspecialist, there is readable English and a devotionalattitudewhichcannothelpbutmovethesensitivereader.Andtherearethepaintings, which, incredibly as it may seem to those familiar withcontemporaryIndianreligiousart,weredonebyAmericandevotees.

The scholar, the student of Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇavism, and the increasingnumberofWesternreadersinterestedinclassicalVedicthoughthavebeendonea servicebySwamiBhaktivedanta.Bybringingusanewand livinginterpretation of a text already known to many, he has increased ourunderstandingmanyfold;andargumentsforunderstanding,inthesedaysofestrangement,neednotbemade.

ProfessorEdwardC.Dimock,Jr.

DepartmentofSouthAsianLanguagesandCivilizationUniversityofChicago

Preface

Originally I wrote Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in the form in which it ispresentednow.Whenthisbookwasfirstpublished,theoriginalmanuscriptwas,unfortunately,cutshorttolessthan400pages,withoutillustrationsandwithout explanations for most of the original verses of the ŚrīmadBhagavad-gītā. In all of my other books–Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, ŚrīĪśopaniṣad,etc.—the system is that I give the original verse, its Englishtransliteration,word-for-wordSanskrit-Englishequivalents,translationsandpurports.Thismakesthebookveryauthenticandscholarlyandmakesthemeaning self-evident. I was not very happy, therefore, when I had tominimize my original manuscript. But later on, when the demand forBhagavad-gītā As It Is considerably increased, I was requested by manyscholarsanddevoteestopresentthebookinitsoriginalform,andMessrs.MacmillanandCo.agreedtopublishthecompleteedition.Thusthepresentattemptistooffertheoriginalmanuscriptofthisgreatbookofknowledgewith full paramparā explanation in order to establish the Kṛṣṇaconsciousnessmovementmoresoundlyandprogressively.

OurKṛṣṇaconsciousnessmovement isgenuine,historically authorized,naturalandtranscendentalduetoitsbeingbasedonBhagavad-gītāAsItIs.It is gradually becoming themost popularmovement in the entireworld,especiallyamongst theyoungergeneration. It isbecomingmoreandmoreinteresting to the older generation also. Older gentlemen are becominginterested,somuchsothatthefathersandgrandfathersofmydisciplesareencouraging us by becoming life members of our great society, theInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness. In Los Angeles manyfathers and mothers used to come to see me to express their feelings ofgratitudeformyleadingtheKṛṣṇaconsciousnessmovementthroughouttheentireworld.SomeofthemsaidthatitisgreatlyfortunatefortheAmericansthat I have started the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in America. ButactuallytheoriginalfatherofthismovementisLordKṛṣṇaHimself,sinceitwasstartedaverylongtimeagobut iscomingdowntohumansocietybydisciplic succession. If I have any credit in this connection, it does notbelong tome personally, but it is due tomy eternal spiritualmaster, HisDivine Grace Om Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya 108 ŚrīŚrīmadBhaktisiddhāntaSarasvatīGosvāmīMahārājaPrabhupāda.

IfpersonallyIhaveanycreditinthismatter,itisonlythatIhavetriedtopresentBhagavad-gītāasitis,withoutadulteration.BeforemypresentationofBhagavad-gītāAsItIs,almostalltheEnglisheditionsofBhagavad-gītāwereintroducedtofulfillsomeone'spersonalambition.Butourattempt,in

presentingBhagavad-gītāAsItIs,istopresentthemissionoftheSupremePersonalityofGodhead,Kṛṣṇa.OurbusinessistopresentthewillofKṛṣṇa,not that of any mundane speculator like the politician, philosopher orscientist,fortheyhaveverylittleknowledgeofKṛṣṇa,despitealltheirotherknowledge.WhenKṛṣṇasays,man-manābhavamad-bhaktomad-yājīmāṁnamaskuru,etc.,we,unliketheso-calledscholars,donotsaythatKṛṣṇaandHis inner spirit aredifferent.Kṛṣṇa is absolute, and there is nodifferencebetweenKṛṣṇa'sname,Kṛṣṇa'sform,Kṛṣṇa'squality,Kṛṣṇa'spastimes,etc.ThisabsolutepositionofKṛṣṇaisdifflculttounderstandforanypersonwhois not a devoteeofKṛṣṇa in theparamparā (disciplic succession) system.Generally the so-called scholars, politicians, philosophers, and svāmīs,without perfect knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, try to banish or kill Kṛṣṇa whenwriting commentary on Bhagavad-gītā. Such unauthorized commentaryuponBhagavad-gītāisknownasMāyāvādī-Bhāṣya,andLordCaitanyahaswarned us about these unauthorizedmen. LordCaitanya clearly says thatanyonewhotriestounderstandBhagavad-gītāfromtheMāyāvādīpointofviewwillcommitagreatblunder.TheresultofsuchablunderwillbethatthemisguidedstudentofBhagavad-gītāwillcertainlybebewilderedonthepath of spiritual guidance andwill not be able to go back home, back toGodhead.

Our only purpose is to present thisBhagavad-gītāAs It Is in order toguidetheconditionedstudenttothesamepurposeforwhichKṛṣṇadescendstothisplanetonceinadayofBrahmā,orevery8,600,000,000years.Thispurpose is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, and we have to accept it as it is;otherwisethereisnopointintryingtounderstandtheBhagavad-gītāanditsspeaker,LordKṛṣṇa.LordKṛṣṇafirstspokeBhagavad-gītāto thesun-godsomehundredsofmillionsofyearsago.Wehavetoacceptthisfactandthusunderstand the historical significance of Bhagavad-gītā, withoutmisinterpretation, on the authority of Kṛṣṇa. To interpret Bhagavad-gītāwithoutanyreferencetothewillofKṛṣṇaisthegreatestoffense.Inordertosave oneself from this offense, one has to understand the Lord as theSupremePersonalityofGodhead,asHewasdirectlyunderstoodbyArjuna,LordKṛṣṇa's first disciple.SuchunderstandingofBhagavad-gītā is reallyprofitableandauthorizedfor thewelfareofhumansociety infulfilling themissionoflife.

TheKṛṣṇaconsciousnessmovementisessentialinhumansociety,foritoffersthehighestperfectionoflife.HowthisissoisexplainedfullyintheBhagavad-gītā.Unfortunately,mundanewranglershavetakenadvantageofBhagavad-gītā to push forward their demonic propensities and misleadpeople regarding right understanding of the simple principles of life.Everyone should know howGod or Kṛṣṇa is great, and everyone shouldknowthefactualpositionofthelivingentities.EveryoneshouldknowthatalivingentityiseternallyaservantandthatunlessoneservesKṛṣṇaonehas

toserveillusionindifferentvarietiesofthethreemodesofmaterialnature,andthusperpetuallyonehastowanderwithinthecycleofbirthanddeath;even the so-called liberated Māyāvādī speculator has to undergo thisprocess. This knowledge constitutes a great science, and each and everylivingbeinghastohearitforhisowninterest.

People in general, especially in this age of Kali, are enamored by theexternal energyofKṛṣṇa, and theywrongly think that by advancement ofmaterialcomfortseverymanwillbehappy.Theyhavenoknowledge thatthematerialorexternalnatureisverystrong,foreveryoneisstronglyboundbythestringent lawsofmaterialnature.Alivingentity ishappily thepartandparceloftheLord,andthushisnaturalfunctionistorenderimmediateservicetotheLord.Bythespellofillusiononetriestobehappybyservinghis personal sense gratification in different formswhich will nevermakehimhappy.Insteadofsatisfyinghisownpersonalmaterialsenses,hehastosatisfy the senses of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of life. TheLordwantsthis,andHedemandsit.Onehastounderstandthiscentralpointof Bhagavad-gītā. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching thewholeworldthiscentralpoint,andbecausewearenotpollutingthethemeofBhagavad-gītāAsItIs,anyoneseriouslyinterestedinderivingbenefitbystudying theBhagavad-gītāmust take help from theKṛṣṇa consciousnessmovement for practical understanding of Bhagavad-gītā under the directguidance of the Lord. We hope, therefore, that people will derive thegreatestbenefitbystudyingBhagavad-gītāAsItIsaswehavepresentedithere, and if even oneman becomes a pure devotee of the Lordwe shallconsiderourattemptasuccess.

12May1971 Sydney,Australia

Bhagavad-gītāAsItIs

INTRODUCTIONomajñāna-timirāndhasyajñānāñjana-śalākayācakṣurunmīlitaṁyenatasmaiśrī-guravenamaḥ

śrī-caitanya-mano'bhīṣṭaṁsthāpitaṁyenabhū-talesvayaṁrūpaḥkadāmahyaṁdadātisva-padāntikam

Iwasborninthedarkestignorance,andmyspiritualmasteropenedmyeyeswiththetorchofknowledge.Ioffermyrespectfulobeisancesuntohim.WhenwillŚrīlaRūpaGosvāmīPrabhupāda,whohasestablishedwithinthismaterialworld themission to fulfill the desire ofLordCaitanya, givemeshelterunderhislotusfeet?

vande'haṁśrī-guroḥśrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁśrī-gurunvaiṣṇavāṁścaśrī-rūpaṁsāgrajātaṁsaha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁtaṁsa-jīvamsādvaitaṁsāvadhūtaṁparijana-sahitaṁkṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁśrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādānsaha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁśca

Ioffermy respectfulobeisancesunto the lotus feetofmyspiritualmasteranduntothefeetofallVaiṣṇavas.Ioffermyrespectfulobeisancesuntothe

lotus feet of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī along with his elder brother SanātanaGosvāmī, as well as Raghunātha Dāsa and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, GopālaBhaṭṭa, and Śrīla JīvaGosvāmī. I offermy respectful obeisances to LordKṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda along with Advaita Ācārya,Gadādhara,Śrīvāsa,andotherassociates.IoffermyrespectfulobeisancestoŚrīmatīRādhārāṇīandŚrīKṛṣṇaalongwithTheirassociates,ŚrīLalitāandViśākhā.

hekṛṣṇakarunā-sindhodīna-bandhojagat-pategopeśagopikā-kāntarādhā-kāntanamo'stute

Omy dearKṛṣṇa,You are the friend of the distressed and the source ofcreation.YouarethemasterofthegopīsandtheloverofRādhārāṇī.IoffermyrespectfulobeisancesuntoYou.

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgirādhevṛndāvaneśvarivṛṣabhānu-sutedevipraṇamāmihari-priye

I offermy respects toRādhārāṇīwhose bodily complexion is likemoltengold andwho is theQueen ofVṛndāvana. You are the daughter ofKingVṛṣabhānu,andYouareverydeartoLordKṛṣṇa.

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaścakṛpā-sindhubhyaevacapatitānāṁpāvanebhyovaiṣṇavebhyonamonamaḥ

IoffermyrespectfulobeisancesuntoalltheVaiṣṇavadevoteesoftheLordwhocan fulfill thedesiresofeveryone, just likedesire trees, andwhoarefullofcompassionforthefallensouls.

śrīkṛṣṇacaitanyaprabhunityānandaśrīadvaitagadādharaśrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, ŚrīAdvaita,Gadādhara,Śrīvāsaandallothersinthelineofdevotion.

harekṛṣṇa,harekṛṣṇa,kṛṣṇakṛṣṇa,harehareharerāma,harerāma,rāmarāma,harehare.

Bhagavad-gītā is also known asGītopaniṣad. It is the essence ofVedic knowledgeandoneofthemostimportantUpaniṣadsinVedicliterature.Of coursetherearemanycommentariesinEnglishontheBhagavad-gītā,and onemayquestionthenecessityforanotherone.Thispresenteditioncanbe

explained in the following way. Recently an American lady askedme torecommendanEnglishtranslationofBhagavad-gītā.OfcourseinAmericatherearesomanyeditionsofBhagavad-gītāavailableinEnglish,butasfarasIhaveseen,notonlyinAmericabutalsoinIndia,noneofthemcanbestrictly said to be authoritative because in almost every one of them thecommentatorhasexpressedhisownopinionswithouttouchingthespiritofBhagavad-gītāasitis.

The spirit ofBhagavad-gītā ismentioned inBhagavad-gītā itself. It isjust like this: if we want to take a particular medicine, then we have tofollow the directions written on the label. We cannot take the medicineaccording to our ownwhim or the direction of a friend. Itmust be takenaccording to the directions on the label or the directions given by aphysician. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā should be taken or accepted as it isdirectedbythespeakerhimself.ThespeakerofBhagavad-gītā isLordŚrīKṛṣṇa. He ismentioned on every page ofBhagavad-gītāas the SupremePersonality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Of course the word"bhagavān"sometimes refers to any powerful person or any powerfuldemigod,andcertainlyhereBhagavāndesignatesLordŚrīKṛṣṇaasagreatpersonality,butatthesametimeweshouldknowthatLordŚrīKṛṣṇaistheSupreme Personality of Godhead, as is confirmed by all great ācāryas(spiritual masters) like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya,NimbārkaSvāmī,ŚrīCaitanyaMahāprabhuandmanyother authoritiesofVedicknowledgeinIndia.TheLordHimselfalsoestablishesHimselfastheSupremePersonalityofGodheadintheBhagavad-gītā,andHeisacceptedassuchintheBrahma-saṁhitāandallthePurāṇas,especiallytheŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam, known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavānsvayam).Thereforewe should takeBhagavad-gītāas it is directed by thePersonalityofGodheadHimself.

IntheFourthChapteroftheGītātheLordsays:

(1)imaṁvivasvateyogaṁproktavānahamavyayamvivasvānmanaveprāhamanurikṣvākave'bravīt

(2)evaṁparamparā-prāptamimaṁrājarṣayoviduḥsakālenehamahatāyogonaṣṭaḥparantapa

(3)saevāyaṁmayāte'dyayogaḥproktaḥpurātanaḥbhakto'simesakhācetirahasyaṁhyetaduttamam

Here the Lord informsArjuna that this system of yoga, theBhagavad-gītā, wasfirstspokentothesun-god,andthesun-godexplainedittoManu,and ManuexplainedittoIkṣvāku,andinthatway,bydisciplicsuccession,one

speakerafteranother, thisyogasystemhasbeencomingdown.But in thecourse of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak itagain,thistimetoArjunaontheBattlefieldofKurukṣetra.

HetellsArjunathatHeisrelatingthissupremesecrettohimbecauseheisHisdevoteeandHisfriend.ThepurportofthisisthatBhagavad-gītāisatreatise which is especiallymeant for the devotee of the Lord. There arethree classes of transcendentalists, namely the jñānī, the yogī and thebhakta,or the impersonalist, themeditatorand thedevotee.Here theLordclearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of a newparamparā(disciplicsuccession)becausetheoldsuccessionwasbroken.ItwastheLord'swish,therefore,toestablishanotherparamparāin thesamelineofthoughtthatwascomingdownfromthesun-godtoothers,anditwasHis wish that His teaching be distributed anew by Arjuna. He wantedArjunatobecometheauthorityinunderstandingtheBhagavad-gītā.Sowesee thatBhagavad-gītā is instructed to Arjuna especially because ArjunawasadevoteeoftheLord,adirectstudentofKṛṣṇa,andHisintimatefriend.ThereforeBhagavad-gītāisbestunderstoodbyapersonwhohasqualitiessimilar to Arjuna's. That is to say he must be a devotee in a directrelationshipwiththeLord.AssoonasonebecomesadevoteeoftheLord,he also has a direct relationship with the Lord. That is a very elaboratesubjectmatter,butbrieflyitcanbestatedthatadevoteeisinarelationshipwiththeSupremePersonalityofGodheadinoneoffivedifferentways:

1. Onemaybeadevoteeinapassivestate;2. Onemaybeadevoteeinanactivestate;3. Onemaybeadevoteeasafriend;4. Onemaybeadevoteeasaparent;5. Onemaybeadevoteeasaconjugallover.

ArjunawasinarelationshipwiththeLordasfriend.Ofcoursethereisa gulf of difference between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This is transcendental friendshipwhich cannot be had by everyone.Of course everyone has a particular relationshipwith theLord, andthatrelationshipisevokedbytheperfectionofdevotionalservice.But in the present status of our life,we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord, butwehave forgottenour eternal relationshipwith theLord.Every livingbeing,outofmany,manybillionsandtrillionsoflivingbeings,hasa particular relationshipwith theLord eternally. That is called svarūpa.By theprocessofdevotionalservice,onecanrevivethatsvarūpa,andthatstage is called svarūpa-siddhi–perfection of one's constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship.

HowArjunaacceptedthisBhagavad-gītāshouldbenoted.Hismannerof

acceptanceisgivenintheTenthChapter.

(12)arjunauvācaparaṁbrahmaparaṁdhāmapavitraṁparamaṁbhavānpuruṣaṁśāśvataṁdivyamādi-devamajaṁvibhum

(13)āhustvāmṛṣayaḥsarvedevarṣirnāradastathāasitodevalovyāsaḥsvayaṁcaivabravīṣime

(14)sarvametadṛtaṁmanyeyanmāṁvadasikeśavanahitebhagavanvyaktiṁvidurdevānadānavāḥ

"Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supremeabodeandpurifier, theAbsoluteTruthandtheeternalDivinePerson.YouaretheprimalGod,transcendentalandoriginal,andYouaretheunbornandall-pervading beauty. All the great sages like Nārada, Asita, Devala, andVyāsaproclaimthisofYou,andnowYouYourselfaredeclaringittome.OKṛṣṇa,ItotallyacceptastruthallthatYouhavetoldme.Neitherthegodsnordemons,OLord,knowThypersonality."(Bg.10.12-14).

AfterhearingBhagavad-gītāfromtheSupremePersonalityofGodhead,Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa asParaṁ Brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Everyliving being is Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the SupremePersonalityofGodhead,istheSupremeBrahman.ParaṁdhāmameansthatHe is the supreme restorabodeofeverything,pavitrammeans thatHe ispure, untainted bymaterial contamination, puruṣammeans that He is thesupreme enjoyer, divyam, transcendental, ādi-devam, the SupremePersonalityofGodhead,ajam,theunborn,andvibhum,thegreatest,theall-pervading.

NowonemaythinkthatbecauseKṛṣṇawasthefriendofArjuna,ArjunawastellingHimallthisbywayofflattery,butArjuna,justtodriveoutthiskindofdoubtfromthemindsofthereadersofBhagavad-gītā,substantiatesthesepraises in thenextversewhenhe says thatKṛṣṇa isacceptedas theSupremePersonalityofGodheadnotonlybyhimselfbutbyauthoritieslikethe sage Nārada, Asita, Devala, Vyāsadeva and so on. These are greatpersonalities who distribute the Vedic knowledge as it is accepted by allācāryas.ThereforeArjunatellsKṛṣṇathatheacceptswhateverHesaystobecompletelyperfect.Sarvametadṛtaṁmanye:"IaccepteverythingYousay to be true." Arjuna also says that the personality of the Lord is verydifficult to understand and that He cannot be known even by the greatdemigods.ThismeansthattheLordcannotevenbeknownbypersonalitiesgreaterthanhumanbeings.SohowcanahumanbeingunderstandŚrīKṛṣṇawithoutbecomingHisdevotee?

ThereforeBhagavad-gītāshouldbetakenupinaspiritofdevotion.One

shouldnotthinkthatheisequaltoKṛṣṇa,norshouldhethinkthatKṛṣṇaisanordinarypersonalityorevenaverygreatpersonality.LordŚrīKṛṣṇaistheSupremePersonalityofGodhead,atleasttheoretically,accordingtothestatementsofBhagavad-gītāorthestatementsofArjuna,thepersonwhoistrying to understand the Bhagavad-gītā. We should therefore at leasttheoreticallyacceptŚrīKṛṣṇaastheSupremePersonalityofGodhead,andwith that submissive spirit we can understand theBhagavad-gītā.Unlessone reads theBhagavad-gītā in a submissive spirit, it is very difficult tounderstandBhagavad-gītābecauseitisagreatmystery.

Just what is theBhagavad-gītā?The purpose ofBhagavad- gītā is todelivermankindfromthenescienceofmaterialexistence.Everymanisindifficulty in somanyways, asArjuna alsowas in difficulty in having tofight the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, andconsequently thisBhagavad-gītāwas spoken. Not onlyArjuna, but everyone of us is full of anxieties because of thismaterial existence.Our veryexistenceisintheatmosphereofnonexistence.Actuallywearenotmeanttobe threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow orotherweareputintoasat.Asatreferstothatwhichdoesnotexist.

Outofsomanyhumanbeingswhoaresuffering,thereareafewwhoareactuallyinquiringabouttheirposition,astowhattheyare,whytheyareputinto this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to thispositionofquestioninghissuffering,unlessherealizesthathedoesn'twantsufferingbut ratherwants tomakeasolution toall sufferings, thenone isnottobeconsideredaperfecthumanbeing.Humanitybeginswhenthissortof inquiry is awakened in one'smind. In theBrahma-sūtra this inquiry iscalled "brahma-jijñāsā." Every activity of the human being is to beconsidered a failure unless he inquires about the nature of the Absolute.Thereforethosewhobegintoquestionwhytheyaresufferingorwheretheycame from and where they shall go after death are proper students forunderstandingBhagavad-gītā.The sincere student shouldalsohavea firmrespectfortheSupremePersonalityofGodhead.SuchastudentwasArjuna.

LordKṛṣṇadescends specifically to reestablish the real purposeof lifewhen man forgets that purpose. Even then, out of many, many humanbeings who awaken, there may be one who actually enters the spirit ofunderstanding his position, and for him this Bhagavad- gītā is spoken.Actuallyweareallfollowedbythetigerofnescience,buttheLordisverymercifuluponlivingentities,especiallyhumanbeings.TothisendHespoketheBhagavad-gītā,makingHisfriendArjunaHisstudent.

BeinganassociateofLordKṛṣṇa,Arjunawasaboveall ignorance,butArjuna was put into ignorance on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra just toquestion Lord Kṛṣṇa about the problems of life so that the Lord couldexplain them for the benefit of future generations of human beings andchalkout theplanof life.Thenmancouldactaccordinglyandperfect the

missionofhumanlife.ThesubjectoftheBhagavad-gītāentailsthecomprehensionoffivebasic

truths. First of all, the science of God is explained and then theconstitutional position of the living entities, jīvas.There is īśvara,whichmeanscontroller,andtherearejīvas,thelivingentitieswhicharecontrolled.Ifalivingentitysaysthatheisnotcontrolledbutthatheisfree,thenheisinsane. The living being is controlled in every respect, at least in hisconditionedlife.SointheBhagavad-gītāthesubjectmatterdealswiththeīśvara, the supremecontroller, and the jīvas,the controlled living entities.Prakṛti (material nature) and time (the duration of existence of thewholeuniverse or themanifestation ofmaterial nature) and karma (activity) arealsodiscussed.Thecosmicmanifestation is full ofdifferent activities.Allliving entities are engaged in different activities. FromBhagavad-gītāwemustlearnwhatGodis,whatthelivingentitiesare,whatprakṛtiis,whatthecosmic manifestation is and how it is controlled by time, and what theactivitiesofthelivingentitiesare.

OutofthesefivebasicsubjectmattersinBhagavad-gītāitisestablishedthattheSupremeGodhead,orKṛṣṇa,orBrahman,orsupremecontroller,orParamātmā–youmayusewhatevernameyoulike–isthegreatestofall.Theliving beings are in quality like the supreme controller. For instance, theLordhascontrolovertheuniversalaffairs,overmaterialnature,etc.,aswillbeexplained in the laterchaptersofBhagavad-gītā.Material nature is notindependant. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. AsLordKṛṣṇa says, "Prakṛti isworking underMy direction."Whenwe seewonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know thatbehind this cosmic manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could bemanifested without being controlled. It is childish not to consider thecontroller. For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quitewonderfultobeabletorunwithoutahorseorotheranimalpullingit,butasanemanknowsthenatureoftheautomobile'sengineeringarrangement.Healwaysknowsthatbehindthemachinerythereisaman,adriver.Similarly,theSupremeLordisadriverunderwhosedirectioneverythingisworking.Nowthejīvas,orthelivingentities,havebeenacceptedbytheLord,aswewillnoteinthelaterchapters,asHispartsandparcels.Aparticleofgoldisalsogold,adropofwaterfromtheoceanisalsosalty,andsimilarly,wetheliving entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller, īsvara, orBhagavān, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, have all the qualities of the Supreme Lord inminutequantitybecauseweareminuteīśvaras,subordinateīśvaras.Wearetrying to control nature, as presently we are trying to control space orplanets, and this tendency to control is there because it is in Kṛṣṇa. Butalthoughwehaveatendencytolorditovermaterialnature,weshouldknowthatwearenotthesupremecontroller.ThisisexplainedinBhagavad-gītā.

Whatismaterialnature?ThisisalsoexplainedinGītāasinferiorprakṛti,

inferiornature.Thelivingentityisexplainedasthesuperiorprakṛti.Prakṛtiisalwaysundercontrol,whetherinferiororsuperior.Prakṛtiisfemale,andsheiscontrolledbytheLordjustastheactivitiesofawifearecontrolledbythehusband.Prakṛtiisalwayssubordinate,predominatedbytheLord,whois the predominator. The living entities and material nature are bothpredominated,controlledbytheSupremeLord.AccordingtotheGītā, theliving entities, although parts and parcels of the SupremeLord, are to beconsideredprakṛti.This is clearlymentioned in theSeventhChapter, fifthverse of Bhagavad-gītā: "Apareyam itas tv anyām." "This prakṛti is Mylowernature.""Prakṛtiṁviddhimeparāmjīva-bhūtāṁmahā-bāhoyayedaṁdhāryatejagat."Andbeyondthisthereisanotherprakṛti:jīva-bhūtām,thelivingentity.Prakṛtiitselfisconstitutedbythreequalities:themodeofgoodness,the

mode of passion and themode of ignorance.Above thesemodes there iseternaltime,andbyacombinationofthesemodesofnatureandunderthecontrol and purview of eternal time there are activities which are calledkarma.Theseactivitiesarebeingcarriedoutfromtimeimmemorial,andwearesufferingorenjoyingthefruitsofouractivities.Forinstance,supposeIam a businessman and haveworked very hardwith intelligence and haveamassedagreatbankbalance.Then I amanenjoyer.But thensay Ihavelostallmymoneyinbusiness;thenIamasufferer.Similarly,ineveryfieldof lifewe enjoy the results of ourwork, orwe suffer the results. This iscalledkarma.Īśvara (the Supreme Lord), jīva (the living entity), prakṛti (nature),

eternal time andkarma (activity) are all explained in theBhagavad- gītā.Outofthesefive,theLord,thelivingentities,materialnatureandtimeareeternal.Themanifestationofprakṛtimaybe temporary,but it isnot false.Somephilosopherssaythatthemanifestationofmaterialnatureisfalse,butaccording to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā or according to thephilosophyoftheVaiṣṇavas,thisisnotso.Themanifestationoftheworldisnotacceptedasfalse;itisacceptedasreal,buttemporary.Itislikeneduntoa cloud which moves across the sky, or the coming of the rainy seasonwhichnourishesgrains.Assoonastherainyseasonisoverandassoonasthecloudgoesaway,allthecropswhichwerenourishedbytheraindryup.Similarly,thismaterialmanifestationtakesplaceatacertaininterval,staysforawhileand thendisappears.Suchare theworkingsofprakṛtiBut thiscycle isworkingeternally.Thereforeprakrtiis eternal; it isnot false.TheLord refers to this as "My prakṛti." This material nature is the separatedenergy of the SupremeLord, and similarly the living entities are also theenergyoftheSupremeLord,buttheyarenotseparated.Theyareeternallyrelated. So the Lord, the living entity, material nature and time are allinterrelated and are all eternal. However, the other item, karma, is noteternal.Theeffectsofkarmamaybeveryold indeed.Wearesufferingor

enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we canchangetheresultsofourkarma,orouractivity,andthischangedependsonthe perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities.Undoubtedlywedonotknowwhatsortofactivitiesweshouldadopttogainrelief from theactionsand reactionsof all theseactivities,but this is alsoexplainedintheBhagavad-gītā.

Thepositionofīsvaraisthatofsupremeconsciousness.Thejīvas,ortheliving entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are alsoconscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained asprakṛti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jīva, isconscious. The other prakṛti is not conscious. That is the difference.Therefore the jīva-prakṛti is called superior because the jīva hasconsciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supremeconsciousness,however, andoneshouldnotclaim that the jīva, the livingentity, is also supremelyconscious.The livingbeingcannotbe supremelyconsciousatanystageofhisperfection,andthetheorythathecanbesoisamisleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly orsupremelyconscious.

Thedistinctionbetweenthejīvaandthe īśvarawillbeexplained in theThirteenthChapterofBhagavad-gītā.TheLordiskṣetra-jñaḥ,conscious,asisthelivingbeing,butthelivingbeingisconsciousofhisparticularbody,whereastheLordisconsciousofallbodies.BecauseHelivesintheheartofevery living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of theparticular jīvas.We should not forget this. It is also explained that theParamātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone'sheart as īśvara,as the controller, and that He is giving directions for thelivingentitytoactashedesires.Thelivingentityforgetswhattodo.Firstofallhemakesadeterminationtoactinacertainway,andthenheisentangledin the acts and reactions of his own karma.After giving up one type ofbody,heentersanothertypeofbody,asweputonandtakeoffoldclothes.As the soul thusmigrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his pastactivities.These activities can be changedwhen the living being is in themode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities heshould adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his pastactivitiescanbechanged.Consequently,karmaisnoteternal.Thereforewestated thatof thefive items(īśvara,jīva,prakṛti timeandkarma) fourareeternal,whereaskarmaisnoteternal.

Thesupremeconsciousīśvaraissimilartothelivingentityinthisway:both the consciousness of the Lord and that of the living entity aretranscendental.Itisnotthatconsciousnessisgeneratedbytheassociationofmatter. That is a mistaken idea. The theory that consciousness developsundercertaincircumstancesofmaterialcombinationisnotacceptedin theBhagavad-gītā.Consciousnessmaybepervertedlyreflectedbythecovering

ofmaterialcircumstances,justaslightreflectedthroughcoloredglassmayappear to be a certain color, but the consciousness of the Lord is notmateriallyaffected.LordKṛṣṇasays,"mayādhyakṣeṇaprakṛtiḥ."WhenHedescends into the material universe, His consciousness is not materiallyaffected. If He were so affected, He would be unfit to speak ontranscendental matters as He does in theBhagavad-gītā.One cannot sayanythingaboutthetranscendentalworldwithoutbeingfreefrommateriallycontaminated consciousness. So the Lord is not materially contaminated.Our consciousness, at the present moment, however, is materiallycontaminated. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches that we have to purify thismaterially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actionswillbedovetailedtothewillofīśvara,andthatwillmakeushappy.Itisnotthatwehavetoceaseallactivities.Rather,ouractivitiesaretobepurified,andpurifiedactivitiesarecalledbhakti.Activitiesinbhaktiappeartobelikeordinaryactivities,buttheyarenotcontaminated.Anignorantpersonmaysee that a devotee is acting or working like an ordinaryman, but such apersonwithapoorfundofknowledgedoesnotknowthattheactivitiesofthedevoteeoroftheLordarenotcontaminatedbyimpureconsciousnessormatter. They are transcendental to the threemodes of nature.We shouldknow,however,thatatthispointourconsciousnessiscontaminated.

Whenwearemateriallycontaminated,wearecalledconditioned.Falseconsciousness is exhibited under the impression that I am a product ofmaterialnature.Thisiscalledfalseego.Onewhoisabsorbedinthethoughtofbodilyconceptionscannotunderstandhissituation.Bhagavad-gītāwasspoken to liberate one from the bodily conception of life, andArjuna puthimself in thispositioninorder toreceive this informationfromtheLord.One must become free from the bodily conception of life; that is thepreliminary activity for the transcendentalist. One who wants to becomefree,whowantstobecomeliberated,mustfirstofalllearnthatheisnotthismaterial body. Mukti or liberation means freedom from materialconsciousness.IntheŚrīmad-Bhāgavatamalsothedefinitionofliberationisgiven:Muktimeansliberationfromthecontaminatedconsciousnessofthismaterialworld and situation inpure consciousness.All the instructionsofBhagavad-gītā are intended to awaken this pure consciousness, andthereforewe find at the last stage of theGītā's instructions that Kṛṣṇa isasking Arjuna whether he is now in purified consciousness. PurifiedconsciousnessmeansactinginaccordancewiththeinstructionsoftheLord.This is the whole sum and substance of purified consciousness.ConsciousnessisalreadytherebecausewearepartandparceloftheLord,butforusthereistheaffinityofbeingaffectedbytheinferiormodes.Butthe Lord, being the Supreme, is never affected. That is the differencebetweentheSupremeLordandtheconditionedsouls.

Whatisthisconsciousness?Thisconsciousnessis"Iam."Thenwhatam

I? In contaminated consciousness "I am" means "I am the lord of all Isurvey. I am the enjoyer."Theworld revolves because every livingbeingthinks that he is the lord and creator of the material world. Materialconsciousnesshas twopsychicdivisions.One is that Iamthecreator,andtheotheristhatIamtheenjoyer.ButactuallytheSupremeLordisboththecreator and theenjoyer, and the livingentity,beingpart andparcelof theSupremeLord,isneitherthecreatornortheenjoyer,butacooperator.Heisthe created and the enjoyed. For instance, a part of amachine cooperateswiththewholemachine;apartofthebodycooperateswiththewholebody.Thehands,feet,eyes,legsandsoonareallpartsofthebody,buttheyarenot actually the enjoyers.The stomach is the enjoyer.The legsmove, thehandssupplyfood,theteethchewandallpartsofthebodyareengagedinsatisfying the stomach because the stomach is the principal factor thatnourishes the body's organization. Therefore everything is given to thestomach.Onenourishesthetreebywateringitsroot,andonenourishesthebodybyfeedingthestomach,forifthebodyistobekeptinahealthystate,thenthepartsofthebodymustcooperatetofeedthestomach.Similarly,theSupremeLordistheenjoyerandthecreator,andwe,assubordinatelivingbeings,aremeanttocooperatetosatisfyHim.Thiscooperationwillactuallyhelpus, just as food takenby the stomachwill help all other parts of thebody. If the fingers of the hand think that they should take the foodthemselvesinsteadofgivingittothestomach,thentheywillbefrustrated.Thecentral figureof creationandof enjoyment is theSupremeLord, andthelivingentitiesarecooperators.Bycooperationtheyenjoy.Therelationisalso like thatof themasterand theservant. If themaster is fullysatisfied,then the servant is satisfied. Similarly, the Supreme Lord should besatisfied,althoughthe tendency tobecomethecreatorand the tendencytoenjoy thematerialworldare therealso in the livingentitiesbecause thesetendencies are there in theSupremeLordwhohas created themanifestedcosmicworld.

Weshallfind,therefore,inthisBhagavad-gītāthatthecompletewholeiscomprised of the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, thecosmicmanifestation,eternaltime,andkarma,oractivities,andalloftheseareexplainedinthistext.Allofthesetakencompletelyformthecompletewhole,andthecompletewholeiscalledtheSupremeAbsoluteTruth.Thecomplete whole and the complete Absolute Truth are the SupremePersonality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All manifestations are due to Hisdifferentenergies.Heisthecompletewhole.

It is also explained in the Gītā that impersonal Brahman is alsosubordinate to the complete. Brahman ismore explicitly explained in theBrahma-sūtratobeliketheraysofthesunshine.TheimpersonalBrahmanis the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. ImpersonalBrahmanisincompleterealizationoftheabsolutewhole,andsoalsoistheconceptionofParamātmāintheTwelfthChapter.Thereitshallbeseenthat

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama, is above bothimpersonalBrahmanandthepartialrealizationofParamātmā.TheSupremePersonality of Godhead is called sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. The Brahma-saṁhitā begins in this way: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ/anādirādirgovindaḥsarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam."Kṛṣṇaisthecauseofallcauses.Heistheprimalcause,andHeistheveryformofeternal

being, knowledge and bliss." Impersonal Brahman realization is therealization of His sat (being) feature. Paramātmā realization is therealization of the cit (eternal knowledge) feature. But realization of thePersonality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is realization of all the transcendentalfeatures:sat,citandānanda(being,knowledge,bliss)incompletevigraha(form).

People with less intelligence consider the Supreme Truth to beimpersonal,butHe isa transcendentalperson,and this isconfirmed inallVedic literatures. Nityo nityānām cetanaś cetanānām. As we are allindividual livingbeingsandhaveour individuality, theSupremeAbsoluteTruth is also, in the ultimate issue, a person, and realization of thePersonality ofGodhead is realizationof all of the transcendental features.Thecompletewholeisnotformless.IfHeisformless,orifHeislessthananyotherthing,thenHecannotbethecompletewhole.Thecompletewholemust have everything within our experience and beyond our experience,otherwise it cannot be complete. The complete whole, Personality ofGodhead,hasimmensepotencies.

How Kṛṣṇa is acting in different potencies is also explained inBhagavad-gītā.Thisphenomenalworldormaterialworldinwhichweareplacedisalsocompleteinitselfbecausethetwenty-fourelementsofwhichthismaterial universe is a temporarymanifestation, according to Sāṅkhyaphilosophy, are completely adjusted to produce complete resourceswhicharenecessaryforthemaintenanceandsubsistenceofthisuniverse.Thereisnothingextraneous;noristhereanythingneeded.Thismanifestationhasitsown time fixedby theenergyof the supremewhole, andwhen its time iscomplete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by thecomplete arrangement of the complete. There is complete facility for thesmallcompleteunits,namelythelivingentities,torealizethecomplete,andallsortsofincompletenessareexperiencedduetoincompleteknowledgeofthecomplete.SoBhagavad-gītācontainsthecompleteknowledgeofVedicwisdom.

AllVedicknowledge is infallible,andHindusacceptVedicknowledgeto be complete and infallible. For example, cow dung is the stool of ananimal,andaccordingtosmṛtiorVedicinjunction,ifonetouchesthestoolof an animal he has to take a bath to purify himself. But in the Vedicscriptures cow dung is considered to be a purifying agent. One mightconsider this to be contradictory, but it is accepted because it is Vedicinjunction, and indeed by accepting this, one will not commit a mistake;subsequentlyithasbeenprovedbymodernsciencethatcowdungcontainsall antiseptic properties. So Vedic knowledge is complete because it isabove all doubts and mistakes, and Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of allVedicknowledge.

Vedic knowledge is not a question of research. Our research work is

imperfectbecauseweareresearchingthingswithimperfectsenses.Wehavetoacceptperfectknowledgewhichcomesdown,asisstatedinBhagavad-gītā,bytheparamparādisciplicsuccession.Wehavetoreceiveknowledgefromthepropersource indisciplicsuccessionbeginningwith thesupremespiritual master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession ofspiritualmasters.Arjuna,thestudentwhotooklessonsfromLordŚrīKṛṣṇa,accepts everything that He says without contradicting Him. One is notallowed to accept one portion ofBhagavad-gītāand not another.No.Wemust accept Bhagavad-gītā without interpretation, without deletion andwithoutourownwhimsicalparticipationinthematter.TheGītāshouldbetaken as the most perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge. Vedicknowledgeisreceivedfromtranscendentalsources,andthefirstwordswerespoken by theLordHimself.Thewords spoken by theLord are differentfromwordsspokenbyapersonofthemundaneworldwhoisinfectedwithfour defects. Amundaner 1) is sure to commitmistakes, 2) is invariablyillusioned,3)hasthetendencytocheatothersand4)islimitedbyimperfectsenses. With these four imperfections, one cannot deliver perfectinformationofall-pervadingknowledge.

Vedicknowledgeisnotimpartedbysuchdefectivelivingentities.Itwasimparted unto the heart of Brahmā, the first created living being, andBrahmāinhisturndisseminatedthisknowledgetohissonsanddisciples,asheoriginallyreceiveditfromtheLord.TheLordispūrṇam,all-perfect,andthere is no possibility of His becoming subjected to the laws ofmaterialnature.OneshouldthereforebeintelligentenoughtoknowthattheLordistheonlyproprietorofeverythingintheuniverseandthatHeistheoriginalcreator, the creator of Brahmā. In the Eleventh Chapter the Lord isaddressed as prapitāmaha because Brahmā is addressed as pitāmaha, thegrandfather,andHeisthecreatorofthegrandfather.Sonooneshouldclaimtobetheproprietorofanything;oneshouldacceptonlythingswhicharesetasideforhimbytheLordashisquotaforhismaintenance.

There aremany examples given of howwe are to utilize those thingswhicharesetasideforusbytheLord.ThisisalsoexplainedinBhagavad-gītā.Inthebeginning,ArjunadecidedthatheshouldnotfightintheBattleofKurukṣetra.Thiswashisowndecision.ArjunatoldtheLordthatitwasnot possible for him to enjoy the kingdom after killing his own kinsmen.Thisdecisionwasbasedonthebodybecausehewasthinkingthatthebodywashimself and that his bodily relationsor expansionswerehis brothers,nephews,brothers-in-law,grandfathersandsoon.Hewas thinking in thiswaytosatisfyhisbodilydemands.Bhagavad-gītāwasspokenbytheLordjust to change thisview, andat the endArjunadecides to fightunder thedirectionsof theLordwhenhe says, "kariṣye vacanaṁ tava." "I shall actaccordingtoThyword."

Inthisworldmanisnotmeanttotoillikehogs.Hemustbeintelligentto

realize the importance of human life and refuse to act like an ordinaryanimal.Ahumanbeingshouldrealizetheaimofhislife,andthisdirectionisgiveninallVedicliteratures,andtheessenceisgiveninBhagavad-gītā.Vedic literature ismeant for human beings, not for animals.Animals cankillotherlivinganimals,andthereisnoquestionofsinontheirpart,butifamankillsananimalforthesatisfactionofhisuncontrolledtaste,hemustberesponsible for breaking the laws of nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā it isclearly explained that there are three kinds of activities according to thedifferent modes of nature: the activities of goodness, of passion and ofignorance. Similarly, there are three kinds of eatables also: eatables ingoodness,passionandignorance.Allofthisisclearlydescribed,andifweproperlyutilize the instructionsofBhagavad-gītā,thenourwhole lifewillbecome purified, and ultimately we will be able to reach the destinationwhichisbeyondthismaterialsky.

Thatdestination iscalled thesanātana sky, theeternal spiritual sky. Inthis material world we find that everything is temporary. It comes intobeing,staysforsometime,producessomeby-products,dwindlesandthenvanishes. That is the law of the material world, whether we use as anexample this body, or a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond thistemporaryworldthereisanotherworldofwhichwehaveinformation.Thisworld consists of another nature which is sanātana, eternal. Jīva is alsodescribedassanātana,eternal,andtheLordisalsodescribedassanātanaintheEleventhChapter.WehaveanintimaterelationshipwiththeLord,andbecause we are all qualitatively one—the sanātana-dhāma, or sky, thesanātanaSupremePersonalityandthesanātana livingentities—thewholepurpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to revive our sanātana occupation, orsanātana-dharma,whichistheeternaloccupationofthelivingentity.Wearetemporarilyengagedindifferentactivities,butalloftheseactivitiescanbepurifiedwhenwegiveupall thesetemporaryactivitiesandtakeuptheactivitieswhichareprescribedbytheSupremeLord.Thatiscalledourpurelife.

TheSupremeLordandHis transcendentalabodeareboth sanātana, asare the living entities, and the combined associationof theSupremeLordandthelivingentitiesinthesanātanaabodeistheperfectionofhumanlife.TheLordisverykindtothelivingentitiesbecausetheyareHissons.LordKṛṣṇadeclaresinBhagavad-gītā,"sarva-yoniṣu...ahaṁbīja-pradaḥpitā.""Iam the father of all." Of course there are all types of living entitiesaccording to theirvariouskarmas,buthere theLordclaims thatHe is thefather of all of them.Therefore theLord descends to reclaim all of thesefallen, conditioned souls to call themback to the sanātanaeternal sky sothatthesanātanalivingentitiesmayregaintheireternalsanātanapositionsin eternal associationwith theLord.TheLordcomesHimself indifferentincarnations,orHesendsHisconfidentialservantsassonsorHisassociates

orācāryastoreclaimtheconditionedsouls.Therefore, sanātana-dharmadoes not refer to any sectarian process of

religion.Itistheeternalfunctionoftheeternallivingentitiesinrelationshipwith the eternal Supreme Lord. Sanātana-dharma refers, as statedpreviously,totheeternaloccupationofthelivingentity.Rāmānujācāryahasexplainedthewordsanātanaas"thatwhichhasneitherbeginningnorend,"sowhenwespeakofsanātana-dharma,wemusttakeitforgrantedontheauthorityofŚrīRāmānujācāryathatithasneitherbeginningnorend.

TheEnglishword"religion"isalittledifferentfromsanātana-dharma.Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faithmay change.Onemay havefaithinaparticularprocess,andhemaychangethisfaithandadoptanother,butsanātana-dharma refers to that activitywhich cannot be changed.Forinstance, liquiditycannotbe takenfromwater,norcanheatbe takenfromfire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot betakenfromthelivingentity.Sanātana-dharmaiseternallyintegralwiththelivingentity.Whenwespeakofsanātana-dharma,therefore,wemusttakeit for granted on the authority of Śrī Rāmānujācārya that it has neitherbeginningnorend.Thatwhichhasneitherendnorbeginningmustnotbesectarian,foritcannotbelimitedbyanyboundaries.Yetthosebelongingtosome sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanātana-dharma is alsosectarian,butifwegodeeplyintothematterandconsideritinthelightofmodern science, it is possible for us to see that sanātana-dharma is thebusinessofallthepeopleoftheworld–nay,ofallthelivingentitiesoftheuniverse.

Non-sanātanareligiousfaithmayhavesomebeginningintheannalsofhumanhistory,butthereisnobeginningtothehistoryofsanātana-dharmabecause it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the livingentities are concerned, the authoritative śāstras state that the living entityhasneitherbirthnordeath. In theGītā it is stated that the living entity isnever born, and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and hecontinues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. Inreferencetotheconceptofsanātana-dharma,wemusttrytounderstandtheconcept of religion from the Sanskrit rootmeaning of theword.Dharmarefers to that which is constantly existing with the particular object. Weconclude that there is heat and light alongwith the fire;without heat andlight,thereisnomeaningtothewordfire.Similarly,wemustdiscovertheessentialpartofthelivingbeing,thatpartwhichishisconstantcompanion.Thatconstantcompanionishiseternalquality,andthateternalqualityishiseternalreligion.

When Sanātana Gosvāmī asked Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about thesvarūpa of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarūpa orconstitutionalpositionofthelivingbeingistherenderingofservicetotheSupreme Personality of Godhead. If we analyze this statement of Lord

Caitanya,wecaneasilyseethateverylivingbeingisconstantlyengagedinrenderingservicetoanotherlivingbeing.Alivingbeingservesotherlivingbeings in two capacities. By doing so, the living entity enjoys life. Theloweranimalsservehumanbeingsasservantsservetheirmaster.AservesBmaster,B servesCmaster andC servesDmaster and soon.Under thesecircumstances,wecanseethatonefriendservesanotherfriend,themotherservestheson,thewifeservesthehusband,thehusbandservesthewifeandsoon. Ifwegoon searching in this spirit, itwill be seen that there is noexception in the society of living beings to the activity of service. Thepolitician presents his manifesto for the public to convince them of hiscapacity for service.Thevoters thereforegive thepolitician theirvaluablevotes, thinking that he will render valuable service to society. Theshopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves the capitalist. Thecapitalist serves the family,and the familyserves thestate in the termsoftheeternalcapacityoftheeternallivingbeing.Inthiswaywecanseethatnolivingbeingisexemptfromrenderingservicetootherlivingbeings,andthereforewecansafelyconcludethatserviceistheconstantcompanionofthe livingbeingand that the renderingof service is theeternal religionofthelivingbeing.

Yetmanprofessestobelongtoaparticulartypeoffaithwithreferencetoparticular time and circumstance and thus claims to be aHindu,Muslim,Christian,Buddhistoranyothersect.Suchdesignationsarenon-sanātana-dharma.AHindumaychangehisfaith tobecomeaMuslim,oraMuslimmaychangehisfaithtobecomeaHindu,oraChristianmaychangehisfaithand soon.But in all circumstances the changeof religious faith doesnoteffect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu,Muslim orChristian in all circumstances is servant of someone. Thus, toprofess aparticular typeof sect isnot toprofessone's sanātana- dharma.Therenderingofserviceissanātana-dharma.

Factuallywe are related to theSupremeLord in service.TheSupremeLordisthesupremeenjoyer,andwelivingentitiesareHisservitors.Wearecreated forHis enjoyment, and ifweparticipate in that eternal enjoymentwith the SupremePersonality ofGodhead,we become happy.We cannotbecomehappyotherwise.Itisnotpossibletobehappyindependantly,justas no one part of the body can be happy without cooperating with thestomach. It is not possible for the living entity to be happy withoutrenderingtranscendentallovingserviceuntotheSupremeLord.

IntheBhagavad-gītā,worshipofdifferentdemigodsorrenderingservicetothemisnotapproved.ItisstatedintheSeventhChapter,twentiethverse:

kāmaistaistairhṛt-ajñānāḥprapadyante'nya-devatāḥtaṁtaṁniyamamāsthāyaprakṛtyāniyatāḥsvayā

"Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender untodemigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worshipaccordingtotheirownnatures."(Bg.7.20)Hereitisplainlysaidthatthosewhoaredirectedby lustworship thedemigodsandnot theSupremeLordKṛṣṇa.WhenwementionthenameKṛṣṇa,wedonotrefertoanysectarianname. Kṛṣṇa means the highest pleasure, and it is confirmed that theSupreme Lord is the reservoir or storehouse of all pleasure. We are allhankering after pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. (Vs. 1.1.12) The livingentities, like the Lord, are full of consciousness, and they are afterhappiness.TheLordisperpetuallyhappy,andifthelivingentitiesassociatewith the Lord, cooperatewithHim and take part inHis association, thentheyalsobecomehappy.

The Lord descends to this mortal world to show His pastimes inVṛndāvana, which are full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was inVṛndāvana,His activitieswithHis cowherd boy friends,withHis damselfriends,withtheinhabitantsofVṛndāvanaandwiththecowswereallfullofhappiness.ThetotalpopulationofVṛndāvanaknewnothingbutKṛṣṇa.ButLordKṛṣṇaevendiscouragedHisfatherNandaMahārājafromworshipingthedemigodIndrabecauseHewantedtoestablishthefactthatpeopleneednot worship any demigod. They need only worship the Supreme LordbecausetheirultimategoalistoreturntoHisabode.

TheabodeofLordŚrīKṛṣṇaisdescribedintheBhagavad-gītā,FifteenthChapter,sixthverse:

natadbhāsayatesūryonaśaśāṅkonapāvakaḥyadgatvānanivartantetaddhāmaparamaṁmama

"ThatabodeofMineisnotilluminedbythesunormoon,norbyelectricity.Andanyonewhoreachesitnevercomesbacktothismaterialworld."(Bg.15.6)

Thisversegivesadescriptionof thateternal sky.Ofcoursewehaveamaterialconceptionofthesky,andwethinkofitinrelationshiptothesun,moon,starsandsoon,butinthisversetheLordstatesthatintheeternalskythereisnoneedforthesunnorforthemoonnorfireofanykindbecausethe spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahmajyoti, the raysemanating from theSupremeLord.Weare tryingwithdifficulty to reachotherplanets,butitisnotdifficulttounderstandtheabodeoftheSupremeLord. This abode is referred to as Goloka. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it isbeautifully described: Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. The LordresideseternallyinHisabodeGoloka,yetHecanbeapproachedfromthisworld, and to this end theLordcomes tomanifestHis real form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha.When He manifests this form, there is no need for ourimaginingwhatHelookslike.Todiscouragesuchimaginativespeculation,

He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Śyāmasundara.Unfortunately, theless intelligentderideHimbecauseHecomesasoneofusandplayswithusasahumanbeing.Butbecauseofthisweshouldnotconsider that theLord is one of us. It is byHis potency thatHe presentsHimself inHis real form before us and displaysHis pastimes, which areprototypesofthosepastimesfoundinHisabode.

In the effulgent rays of the spiritual sky there are innumerable planetsfloating. The brahmajyoti emanates from the supreme abode, Kṛṣṇaloka,andtheānandamaya-cinmayaplanets,whicharenotmaterial,floatinthoserays. TheLord says,na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ yadgatvānanivartantetaddhāmaparamaṁmama.Onewhocanapproachthatspiritual sky is not required to descend again to the material sky. In thematerialsky,evenifweapproachthehighestplanet(Brahmaloka),whattospeakof themoon,wewill find thesameconditionsof life,namelybirth,death,diseaseandoldage.Noplanet in thematerialuniverse is freefromthese four principles of material existence. Therefore the Lord says inBhagavad-gītā,ābrahma-bhuvanāllokāḥpunarāvartino'rjuna.The livingentities are traveling from one planet to another, not by mechanicalarrangementbutbyaspiritualprocess.Thisisalsomentioned:yāntideva-vratādevānpitṝnyāntipitṛ-vratāḥ.Nomechanicalarrangementisnecessaryifwewantinterplanetarytravel.TheGītāinstructs:yāntideva-vratādevān.Themoon,thesunandhigherplanetsarecalledsvargaloka.Therearethreedifferent statuses of planets: higher, middle and lower planetary systems.Theearthbelongstothemiddleplanetarysystem.Bhagavad-gītāinformsushowtotraveltothehigherplanetarysystems(devaloka)withaverysimpleformula: yānti deva-vratā devān. One need only worship the particulardemigodofthatparticularplanetandinthatwaygotothemoon,thesunoranyofthehigherplanetarysystems.

YetBhagavad-gītādoesnotadviseustogotoanyoftheplanetsinthismaterial world because even if we go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet,throughsomesortofmechanicalcontrivancebymaybe traveling for fortythousand years (and who would live that long?), we will still find thematerial inconveniencesofbirth,death,diseaseandoldage.Butonewhowantstoapproachthesupremeplanet,Kṛṣṇaloka,oranyoftheotherplanetswithin the spiritual sky,will notmeetwith thesematerial inconveniences.Amongstallof theplanets in thespiritualsky there isonesupremeplanetcalledGolokaVṛndāvana,which is theoriginalplanet in theabodeof theoriginalPersonalityofGodheadŚrīKṛṣṇa.AllofthisinformationisgiveninBhagavad-gītā,andwearegiventhroughitsinstructioninformationhowtoleavethematerialworldandbeginatrulyblissfullifeinthespiritualsky.

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the real picture of thematerialworldisgiven.Itissaidthere:

ūrdhva-mūlamadhaḥ-śākhamaśvatthaṁprāhuravyayamchandāṁsiyasyaparṇāniyastaṁvedasaveda-vit

"TheSupremeLordsaid:Thereisabanyantreewhichhasitsrootsupwardanditsbranchesdown,andtheVedichymnsareitsleaves.OnewhoknowsthistreeistheknoweroftheVedas."(Bg.15.1)Herethematerialworldisdescribed as a treewhose roots are upwards and branches are below.Wehaveexperienceofatreewhoserootsareupward:ifonestandsonthebankofariveroranyreservoirofwater,hecanseethatthetreesreflectedinthewaterareupsidedown.Thebranchesgodownwardand the rootsupward.Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. Thematerialworldisbutashadowofreality.Intheshadowthereisnorealityorsubstantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there issubstanceandreality.Inthedesertthereisnowater,butthemiragesuggeststhat thereissuchathingaswater.Inthematerialworldthereisnowater,thereisnohappiness,but therealwaterofactualhappinessis thereinthespiritualworld.

The Lord suggests that we attain the spiritual world in the followingmanner:

nirmāna-mohājita-saṅga-doṣāadhyātma-nityāvinivṛtta-kāmāḥ

dvandvairvimuktāḥsukha-duḥkha-saṁjñairgacchantyamūḍhāḥpadamavyayaṁtat.

Thatpadam avyayam or eternal kingdom can be reached by one who isnirmāna-moha.Whatdoesthismean?Weareafterdesignations.Someonewantstobecomeason,someonewantstobecomeLord,someonewantstobecomethepresidentorarichmanorakingorsomethingelse.Aslongasweareattachedtothesedesignations,weareattachedtothebodybecausedesignationsbelongtothebody.Butwearenotthesebodies,andrealizingthisisthefirststageinspiritualrealization.Weareassociatedwiththethreemodesofmaterialnature,butwemustbecomedetachedthroughdevotionalservicetotheLord.IfwearenotattachedtodevotionalservicetotheLord,then we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature.Designationsandattachmentsareduetoourlustanddesire,ourwantingtolorditoverthematerialnature.Aslongaswedonotgiveupthispropensityoflordingitovermaterialnature,thereisnopossibilityofreturningtothekingdomoftheSupreme,thesanātana-dhāma.Thateternalkingdom,whichisneverdestroyed,canbeapproachedbyonewhoisnotbewilderedbytheattractionsoffalsematerialenjoyments,whoissituatedintheserviceoftheSupremeLord.Onesosituatedcaneasilyapproachthatsupremeabode.

ElsewhereintheGītāitisstated:

avyakto'kṣaraityuktastamāhuḥparamāṁgatimyaṁprāpyananivartantetaddhāmaparamaṁmama.

Avyakta means unmanifested. Not even all of the material world ismanifestedbeforeus.Oursensesaresoimperfect thatwecannotevenseeall of the stars within this material universe. In Vedic literature we canreceivemuchinformationaboutalltheplanets,andwecanbelieveitornotbelieve it. All of the important planets are described inVedic literatures,especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the spiritual world, which is beyondthismaterialsky,isdescribedasavyakta,unmanifested.Oneshoulddesireandhankerafterthatsupremekingdom,forwhenoneattainsthatkingdom,hedoesnothavetoreturntothismaterialworld.

Next,onemayraisethequestionofhowonegoesaboutapproachingthatabode of the Supreme Lord. Information of this is given in the EighthChapter.Itissaidthere:

anta-kālecamāmevasmaranmuktvākalevaramyaḥprayātisamad-bhāvamyātināstyatrasaṁśayaḥ

"Anyonewho quits his body, at the end of life, rememberingMe, attainsimmediatelytoMynature;andthereisnodoubtofthis."(Bg.8.5)OnewhothinksofKṛṣṇaatthetimeofhisdeathgoestoKṛṣṇa.OnemustremembertheformofKṛṣṇa;ifhequitshisbodythinkingofthisform,heapproachesthe spiritual kingdom.Mad-bhāvaṁ refers to the supreme nature of theSupremeBeing.TheSupremeBeing is sac-cid-ānanda- vigraha—eternal,full ofknowledgeandbliss.Ourpresentbody isnot sac-cid-ānanda.It isasat,notsat.Itisnoteternal;itisperishable.Itisnotcit,fullofknowledge,butitisfullofignorance.Wehavenoknowledgeofthespiritualkingdom,nordoweevenhaveperfectknowledgeofthismaterialworldwheretherearesomanythingsunknowntous.Thebodyisalsonirānanda;insteadofbeingfullofblissit isfullofmisery.Allof themiseriesweexperienceinthe material world arise from the body, but one who leaves this bodythinkingof theSupremePersonalityofGodheadatonceattainsasac-cid-ānandabody,asispromisedinthisfifthverseoftheEighthChapterwhereLordKṛṣṇasays,"HeattainsMynature."

Theprocessofquittingthisbodyandgettinganotherbodyinthematerialworldisalsoorganized.Amandiesafterithasbeendecidedwhatformofbodyhewillhave in thenext life.Higherauthorities,not the livingentityhimself,makethisdecision.Accordingtoouractivitiesinthislife,weeitherriseor sink.This life is apreparation for thenext life. Ifwe canprepare,therefore,inthislifetogetpromotiontothekingdomofGod,thensurely,afterquittingthismaterialbody,wewillattainaspiritualbodyjustliketheLord.

Asexplainedbefore, there are different kindsof transcendentalists, thebrahmavādi paramātmāvādi and the devotee, and, as mentioned, in thebrahmajyoti (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual planets. Thenumber of these planets is far, far greater than all of the planets of thismaterial world. This material world has been approximated as only onequarter of the creation. In this material segment there are millions andbillionsofuniverseswithtrillionsofplanetsandsuns,starsandmoons.Butthiswholematerialcreationisonlyafragmentofthetotalcreation.Mostofthe creation is in the spiritual sky. One who desires to merge into theexistenceoftheSupremeBrahmanisatoncetransferredtothebrahmajyotiof the SupremeLord and thus attains the spiritual sky.The devotee,whowantstoenjoytheassociationoftheLord,entersintotheVaikuṇṭhaplanets,whichareinnumerable,andtheSupremeLordbyHisplenaryexpansionsasNārāyaṇa with four hands and with different names like Pradyumna,Aniruddha,Govinda,etc.,associateswithhimthere.Thereforeattheendoflifethetranscendentalistseitherthinkofthebrahmajyoti,theParamātmāortheSupremePersonalityofGodheadŚrīKṛṣṇa.Inallcasestheyenterintothespiritualsky,butonlythedevotee,orhewhoisinpersonaltouchwiththeSupremeLord,entersintotheVaikuṇṭhaplanets.TheLordfurtheraddsthatofthis"thereisnodoubt."Thismustbebelievedfirmly.Weshouldnotrejectthatwhichdoesnottallywithourimagination;ourattitudeshouldbethatofArjuna:"Ibelieveeverything thatYouhavesaid."ThereforewhentheLordsaysthatatthetimeofdeathwhoeverthinksofHimasBrahmanorParamātmā or as the Personality of Godhead certainly enters into thespiritualsky,thereisnodoubtaboutit.Thereisnoquestionofdisbelievingit.

The information on how to think of the SupremeBeing at the time ofdeathisalsogivenintheGītā:

yaṁyaṁvāpismaranbhāvaṁtyajatyantekalevaramtaṁtamevaitikaunteyasadātad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

"Inwhatever conditiononequitshispresentbody, inhisnext lifehewillattain to that state of being without fail." (Bg. 8.6) Material nature is adisplayofoneoftheenergiesoftheSupremeLord.IntheViṣṇuPurāṇathetotal energies of the Supreme Lord asViṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā, etc., aredelineated.TheSupremeLordhasdiverseandinnumerableenergieswhicharebeyondourconception;however,greatlearnedsagesorliberatedsoulshavestudiedtheseenergiesandhaveanalyzedthemintothreeparts.AlloftheenergiesareofViṣṇu-śakti,thatistosaytheyaredifferentpotenciesofLordViṣṇu.Thatenergyisparā,transcendental.Livingentitiesalsobelongtothesuperiorenergy,ashasalreadybeenexplained.Theotherenergies,ormaterialenergies,areinthemodeofignorance.Atthetimeofdeathwecan

eitherremainintheinferiorenergyofthismaterialworld,orwecantransfertotheenergyofthespiritualworld.

In life we are accustomed to thinking either of the material or thespiritualenergy.Therearesomanyliteratureswhichfillourthoughtswiththe material energy–newspapers, novels, etc. Our thinking, which is nowabsorbed in these literatures, must be transferred to the Vedic literatures.Thegreat sages, therefore,havewrittensomanyVedic literatures suchasthe Purāṇas, etc. The Purāṇas are not imaginative; they are historicalrecords.IntheCaitanya-caritāmṛitathereisthefollowingverse:

māyāmugdhajivernāhisvataḥkṛṣṇa-jñān jiverakṛpāyakailākṛṣṇaveda-purāṇa

(Cc. Madhya 20.122)

The forgetful living entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationshipwith theSupremeLord, and theyare engrossed in thinkingof materialactivities.Just to transfer their thinkingpowerto thespiritualsky, Kṛṣṇa has given a great number ofVedic literatures. FirstHe divided the Vedasintofour,thenHeexplainedtheminthePurāṇas,andforless capablepeopleHewrote theMahābhārata. In theMahābhārata there is given theBhagavad-gītā. Then all Vedic literature is summarized in the Vedānta-sūtra, and for future guidance He gave a natural commentation on theVedānta-sutra, called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.We must always engage our minds in reading these Vedic literatures. Just as materialists engage their minds in reading newspapers, magazines and so many materialistic literatures,wemusttransferourreadingtotheseliteratureswhicharegiven tousbyVyāsadeva; in thatwayitwillbepossibleforus torememberthe SupremeLordat the timeofdeath.That is theonlywaysuggestedby the Lord,andHeguaranteestheresult:"Thereisnodoubt."(Bg.8.7)

tasmātsarveṣukāleṣumāmanusmarayudhyacamayyarpita-mano-buddhirmāmevaiṣyasyasaṁśayaḥ

"Therefore,Arjuna,you should always thinkofMe, andat the same timeyou should continue your prescribed duty and fight.With yourmind andactivities always fixed on Me, and everything engaged in Me, you willattaintoMewithoutanydoubt."

He does not advise Arjuna to simply remember Him and give up hisoccupation. No, the Lord never suggests anything impractical. In thismaterial world, in order to maintain the body one has to work. Humansociety is divided, according towork, into four divisions of social order–brāhmaṇa,kṣatriya,vaiśya,śūdra.Thebrāhmaṇaclassor intelligentclassisworking in oneway, the kṣatriyaor administrative class is working in

anotherway,andthemercantileclassandthelaborersarealltendingtotheirspecific duties. In the human society,whether one is a laborer,merchant,warrior,administrator,orfarmer,orevenifonebelongstothehighestclassandisaliteraryman,ascientistoratheologian,hehastoworkinordertomaintainhisexistence.TheLordthereforetellsArjunathatheneednotgiveup his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he shouldremember Kṛṣṇa. If he doesn't practice remembering Kṛṣṇa while he isstruggling for existence, then itwill not be possible for him to rememberKṛṣṇaatthetimeofdeath.LordCaitanyaalsoadvisesthis.Hesaysthatoneshouldpractice remembering theLordby chanting thenamesof theLordalways. The names of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent. So LordKṛṣṇa's instruction to Arjuna to "remember Me" and Lord Caitanya'sinjunction to always "chant the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa" are the sameinstruction. There is no difference, because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name arenondifferent.Intheabsolutestatusthereisnodifferencebetweenreferenceandreferent.ThereforewehavetopracticerememberingtheLordalways,twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life'sactivitiesinsuchawaythatwecanrememberHimalways.

How is this possible? The ācāryas give the following example. If amarriedwoman isattached toanotherman,or ifamanhasanattachmentfor awoman other than hiswife, then the attachment is to be consideredvery strong.Onewith such an attachment is always thinkingof the lovedone.Thewifewho is thinking of her lover is always thinking ofmeetinghim,evenwhilesheiscarryingoutherhouseholdchores.Infact,shecarriesoutherhouseholdworkevenmorecarefullysoherhusbandwillnotsuspectherattachment.Similarly,weshouldalways remember thesupreme lover,ŚrīKṛṣṇa,andatthesametimeperformourmaterialdutiesverynicely.Astrongsenseofloveisrequiredhere.Ifwehaveastrongsenseofloveforthe Supreme Lord, thenwe can discharge our duty and at the same timeremember Him. But we have to develop that sense of love. Arjuna, forinstance,wasalwaysthinkingofKṛṣṇa;hewastheconstantcompanionofKṛṣṇa,andatthesametimehewasawarrior.Kṛṣṇadidnotadvisehimtogive up fighting and go to the forest to meditate. When Lord Kṛṣṇadelineates theyogasystem toArjuna,Arjunasays that thepracticeof thissystemisnotpossibleforhim.

arjunauvācayo'yaṁyogastvayāproktaḥsāmyenamadhusūdanaetasyāhaṁnapaśyāmicañcalatvātsthitiṁsthirām

"Arjuna said, O Madhusūdana, the system of yoga which you havesummarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind isrestlessandunsteady."(Bg.6.33)

ButtheLordsays:

yogināmapisarveṣāṁmad-gatenāntarātmanāśraddhāvānbhajateyomāṁsameyuktatamomataḥ

"Ofallyogīs,hewhoalwaysabidesinMewithgreatfaith,worshipingMeintranscendentallovingservice,ismostintimatelyunitedwithMeinyoga,andisthehighestofall."(Bg.6.47)SoonewhothinksoftheSupremeLordalwaysisthegreatestyogī,thesupermostjñānī,andthegreatestdevoteeatthe same time. TheLord further tellsArjuna that as a kṣatriyahe cannotgiveuphisfighting,butifArjunafightsrememberingKṛṣṇa,thenhewillbeable to rememberHim at the time of death. But onemust be completelysurrenderedinthetranscendentallovingserviceoftheLord.

Weworknotwithourbody,actually,butwithourmindandintelligence.SoiftheintelligenceandthemindarealwaysengagedinthethoughtoftheSupreme Lord, then naturally the senses are also engaged inHis service.Superficially,at least, theactivitiesof thesensesremain thesame,but theconsciousnessischanged.TheBhagavad-gītāteachesonehowtoabsorbthemind and intelligence in the thought of the Lord. Such absorption willenable one to transfer himself to the kingdomof theLord. If themind isengagedinKṛṣṇa'sservice,thenthesensesareautomaticallyengagedinHisservice.This is the art, and this is also the secret ofBhagavad-gītā: totalabsorptioninthethoughtofŚrīKṛṣṇa.

Modernmanhasstruggledveryhardtoreachthemoon,buthehasnottried very hard to elevate himself spiritually. If one has fifty years of lifeaheadofhim,heshouldengagethatbrieftimeincultivatingthispracticeofremembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This practice is thedevotionalprocessof:

śravaṇaṁkīrtanaṁviṣṇoḥsmaraṇaṁpāda-sevanamarcanaṁvandanaṁdāsyaṁsakhyamātma-nivedanam

Thesenineprocesses,ofwhichtheeasiestisśravaṇaṁ,hearingBhagavad-gītāfrom the realizedperson,will turnone to the thoughtof theSupremeBeing.Thiswill leadtoniścala,remembering theSupremeLord, andwillenableone,uponleavingthebody,toattainaspiritualbodywhichisjustfitforassociationwiththeSupremeLord.

TheLordfurthersays:

abhyāsa-yoga-yuktenacetasānānya-gāmināparamaṁpuruṣaṁdivyaṁyātipārthānucintayan

"Bypracticing this remembering,withoutbeingdeviated, thinkingeveroftheSupremeGodhead,one issure toachieve theplanetof theDivine, theSupremePersonality,OsonofKuntī."(Bg.8.8)

Thisisnotaverydifficultprocess.However,onemustlearnitfromanexperiencedperson, fromonewho is already in thepractice.Themind isalways flying to this and that, butonemust alwayspractice concentratingthemindontheformoftheSupremeLordŚrīKṛṣṇaoronthesoundofHisname.Themindisnaturallyrestless,goinghitherandthither,butitcanrestin the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa. One must thus meditate on paramaṁpuruṣaṁ, the Supreme Person; and thus attain Him. The ways and themeans for ultimate realization, ultimate attainment, are stated in theBhagavad-gītā,andthedoorsofthisknowledgeareopenforeveryone.Nooneisbarredout.AllclassesofmencanapproachtheLordbythinkingofHim,forhearingandthinkingofHimispossibleforeveryone.

TheLordfurthersays:

māṁhipārthavyapāśrityaye'pisyuḥpāpa-yonayaḥstriyovaiśyāstathāśūdrāste'piyāntiparāṁgatim

kiṁpunarbrāhmaṇāḥpuṇyābhaktārājarṣayastathāanityamasukhaṁlokamimaṁprāpyabhajasvamām

"OsonofPṛthā,anyonewhowilltakeshelterinMe,whetherawoman,oramerchant, or one born in a low family, can yet approach the supremedestination.Howmuchgreater then are thebrāhmaṇas, the righteous, thedevotees, and saintly kings! In this miserable world, these are fixed indevotionalservicetotheLord."(Bg.9.32-33)

Humanbeingseveninthelowerstatusesoflife(amerchant,awomanora laborer) can attain the Supreme. One does not need highly developedintelligence.Thepoint is that anyonewhoaccepts theprincipleofbhakti-yogaand accepts theSupremeLord as the summumbonumof life, as thehighesttarget,theultimategoal,canapproachtheLordinthespiritualsky.Ifoneadopts theprinciplesenunciated inBhagavad-gītā,hecanmakehislife perfect andmake a perfect solution to all the problems of lifewhichariseoutof the transientnatureofmaterialexistence.This is the sumandsubstanceoftheentireBhagavad-gītā.

In conclusion, Bhagavad-gīta is a transcendental literature which oneshouldreadverycarefully.Itiscapableofsavingonefromallfear.

nehābhikrama-nāśo'stipratyavāyonavidyatesvalpamapyasyadharmasyatrāyatemahatobhayāt

"Inthisendeavorthereisnolossordiminution,andalittleadvancementonthispathcanprotectonefromthemostdangeroustypeoffear."(Bg.2.40)IfonereadsBhagavad-gītāsincerelyandseriously,thenallofthereactionsof his past misdeeds will not react upon him. In the last portion ofBhagavad-gītā,LordŚrīKṛṣṇaproclaims:

sarva-dharmānparityajyamāmekaṁśaraṇaṁvrajaahaṁtvāṁsarva-pāpebhyomokṣayiṣyāmimāśucaḥ

"Giveupallvarietiesof religiousness, and just surrenderuntoMe;and inreturn I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you havenothingtofear."(Bg.18.66)ThustheLordtakesallresponsibilityforonewhosurrendersuntoHim,andHeindemnifiesallthereactionsofsin.

Onecleanseshimselfdailybytakingabathinwater,butonewhotakeshisbathonlyonceinthesacredGangeswateroftheBhagavad-gītācleansesawayall thedirtofmaterial life.BecauseBhagavad-gītā is spokenby theSupreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedicliterature.OneneedonlyattentivelyandregularlyhearandreadBhagavad-gītā.Inthepresentage,mankindissoabsorbedwithmundaneactivitiesthatitisnotpossibletoreadalloftheVedicliteratures.Butthisisnotnecessary.Thisonebook,Bhagavad-gītā,will sufficebecause it is theessenceofallVedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. It is said thatonewhodrinks thewaterof theGangescertainlygetssalvation,butwhattospeakofonewhodrinksthewatersofBhagavad-gītā?GītāistheverynectaroftheMahābhārataspokenbyViṣṇuHimself,forLordKṛṣṇaistheoriginalViṣṇu.Itisnectaremanatingfromthemouthof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to beemanatingfromthelotusfeetoftheLord.OfcoursethereisnodifferencebetweenthemouthandthefeetoftheSupremeLord,butinourpositionwecan appreciate that the Bhagavad-gītā is even more important than theGanges.

TheBhagavad-gītāisjustlikeacow,andLordKṛṣṇa,whoisacowherdboy,ismilkingthiscow.ThemilkistheessenceoftheVedas,andArjunaisjust like a calf. The wisemen, the great sages and pure devotees, are todrinkthenectareanmilkofBhagavad-gītā.

Inthispresentday,manisveryeagertohaveonescripture,oneGod,onereligion,andoneoccupation.Solettherebeonecommonscriptureforthewholeworld—Bhagavad-gītā.AndlettherebeoneGodonlyforthewholeworld—ŚrīKṛṣṇa.Andonemantraonly—HareKṛṣṇa,HareKṛṣṇa,KṛṣṇaKṛṣṇa,HareHare/HareRāma,HareRāma,RāmaRāma,HareHare.Andletthere be one work only—the service of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead.

THEDISCIPLICSUCCESSION

Evaṁparamparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. (Bhagavad-gītā,4.2)ThisBhagavad-gītāAsItIsisreceivedthroughthisdisciplicsuccession:

1) Kṛṣṇa,2)Brahmā,3)Nārada,4)Vyāsa,5)Madhva,6)Padmanābha,7)Nṛhari, 8)Mādhava, 9) Akṣobhya, 10) Jaya Tīrtha, 11) Jñānasindhu, 12)Dayānidhi,13)Vidyānidhi,14)Rājendra,15)Jayadharma,16)Puruṣottama,17) BrahmaṇyaTīrtha,18)VyāsaTīrtha,19)Lakṣmīpati,20)MādhavendraPurī,21)ĪśvaraPurī,(Nityānanda,Advaita),22)LordCaitanya,23)Rūpa,(Svarūpa,Sanātana),24)Raghunātha, Jīva,25)Kṛṣṇadāsa,26)Narottama,27) Viśvanātha, 28) (Baladeva) Jagannātha, 29) Bhaktivinoda, 30)Gaurakiśora,31)BhaktisiddhāntaSarasvatī,32)BhaktivedantaSwami Prabhupāda.

BG-1

CHAPTERONE

ObservingtheArmiesontheBattlefieldofKurukṣetra

TEXT1

धतरा उवाच।धम क सम तायय सवः।मामकाःपा डवा व कमकवतस जय॥१॥

dhṛtarāṣṭrauvācadharma-kṣetrekuru-kṣetre

samavetāyuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥpāṇḍavāścaiva

kimakurvatasañjaya

dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ—King Dhṛtarāṣṭra; uvāca—said; dharma-kṣetre—in theplace of pilgrimage; kuru-kṣetre—in the place named Kurukṣetra;samavetāḥ— assembled; yuyutsavaḥ—desiring to fight; māmakāḥ—myparty(sons);pāṇḍavāḥ—thesonsofPāṇḍu;ca—and;eva-certainly;kim—what;akurvata—didtheydo;sañjaya—OSañjaya.

TRANSLATION

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after assembling in the place ofpilgrimageatKurukṣetra,whatdidmysonsandthesonsofPāṇḍudo,beingdesiroustofight?

PURPORT

Bhagavad-gītā is the widely read theistic science summarized in theGītā-māhātmya (Glorification of the Gītā).There it says that one shouldreadBhagavad-gītāvery scrutinizinglywith thehelpofapersonwho is adevoteeofŚrīKṛṣṇaandtrytounderstanditwithoutpersonallymotivatedinterpretations. The example of clear understanding is there in theBhagavad-gītāitself,inthewaytheteachingisunderstoodbyArjuna,whoheard theGītādirectly from the Lord. If someone is fortunate enough tounderstand Bhagavad-gītā in that line of disciplic succession, withoutmotivatedinterpretation,thenhesurpassesallstudiesofVedicwisdom,andall scriptures of theworld.Onewill find in theBhagavad-gītāall that iscontainedinotherscriptures,butthereaderwillalsofindthingswhicharenottobefoundelsewhere.ThatisthespecificstandardoftheGītā.Itistheperfect theistic science because it is directly spoken by the SupremePersonalityofGodhead,LordŚrīKṛṣṇa.

The topics discussed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Sañjaya, as described in theMahābhārata, form the basic principle for this great philosophy. It isunderstood that this philosophy evolved on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra,which is a sacred place of pilgrimage from the immemorial time of theVedicage. Itwasspokenby theLordwhenHewaspresentpersonallyonthisplanetfortheguidanceofmankind.

Theworddharma-kṣetra(aplacewherereligiousritualsareperformed)is significant because, on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, the SupremePersonalityofGodheadwaspresentonthesideofArjuna.Dhṛtarāṣṭra,thefather of theKurus,washighlydoubtful about thepossibility of his sons'ultimatevictory.Inhisdoubt,heinquiredfromhissecretarySañjaya,"WhatdidmysonsandthesonsofPāṇḍudo?"HewasconfidentthatbothhissonsandthesonsofhisyoungerbrotherPāṇḍuwereassembledinthatFieldof

Kurukṣetra for a determined engagement of the war. Still, his inquiry issignificant. He did not want a compromise between the cousins andbrothers,andhewantedtobesureofthefateofhissonsonthebattlefield.Because the battle was arranged to be fought at Kurukṣetra, which ismentioned elsewhere in the Vedas as a place of worship—even for thedenizensofheaven—Dhṛtarāṣṭrabecameveryfearfulabouttheinfluenceofthe holy place on the outcome of the battle. He knew verywell that thiswouldinfluenceArjunaandthesonsofPāṇḍufavorably,becausebynaturetheywereallvirtuous.SañjayawasastudentofVyāsa,andtherefore,bythemercyofVyāsa,SañjayawasabletoenvisiontheBattlefieldofKurukṣetraevenwhile hewas in the room ofDhṛtarāṣṭra.And so,Dhṛtarāṣṭra askedhimaboutthesituationonthebattlefield.

BoththePāṇḍavasandthesonsofDhṛtarāṣṭrabelongtothesamefamily,butDhṛtarāṣṭra'smindisdisclosedherein.HedeliberatelyclaimedonlyhissonsasKurus,andheseparatedthesonsofPāṇḍufromthefamilyheritage.One can thus understand the specific position of Dhṛtarāṣṭra in hisrelationshipwithhisnephews,thesonsofPāṇḍu.Asinthepaddyfieldtheunnecessaryplantsaretakenout,soitisexpectedfromtheverybeginningofthesetopics that in thereligiousfieldofKurukṣetrawherethefatherofreligion,ŚrīKṛṣṇa,waspresent, theunwantedplantslikeDhṛtarāṣṭra'ssonDuryodhana and others would be wiped out and the thoroughly religiouspersons,headedbyYudhiṣṭhira,wouldbeestablishedby theLord.This isthe significance of the words dharma-kṣetreandkuru- kṣetre, apart fromtheirhistoricalandVedicimportance.

TEXT2

स जयउवाच।द ातपा डवानीक यढ य धन तदा।आचायमपसग यराजावचनम वीत्॥२॥

sañjayauvācadṛṣṭvātupāṇḍavānīkaṁ

vyūḍhaṁduryodhanastadāācāryamupasaṅgamya

rājāvacanamabravīt

sañjayaḥ—Sañjaya;uvāca—said;dṛṣṭvā—afterseeing;tu—but;pāṇḍava-anīkam—the soldiers of the Pāṇḍavas; vyūḍham—arranged in militaryphalanx;duryodhanaḥ—KingDuryodhana; tadā—at that time; ācāryam—theteacher;upasaṅgamya—approachingnearby;rājā—theking;vacanam—words;abravīt—spoke.

TRANSLATION

Sañjayasaid:OKing,after lookingover thearmygatheredbythesons of Pāṇḍu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began tospeakthefollowingwords:

PURPORT

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind from birth. Unfortunately, he was also bereft ofspiritualvision.Heknewverywell thathissonswereequallyblind in thematter of religion, and he was sure that they could never reach anunderstandingwith the Pāṇḍavas,whowere all pious since birth. Still hewas doubtful about the influence of the place of pilgrimage, and Sañjayacouldunderstandhismotiveinaskingaboutthesituationonthebattlefield.He wanted, therefore, to encourage the despondent King, and thus hewarnedhimthathissonswerenotgoing tomakeanysortofcompromiseundertheinfluenceoftheholyplace.SañjayathereforeinformedtheKingthathisson,Duryodhana,afterseeingthemilitaryforceofthePāṇḍavas,atoncewenttothecommander-in-chief,Droṇācārya,toinformhimoftherealposition.AlthoughDuryodhanaismentionedastheking,hestillhadtogoto the commander on account of the seriousness of the situation.Hewastherefore quite fit to be a politician. But Duryodhana's diplomatic veneercouldnotdisguisethefearhefeltwhenhesawthemilitaryarrangementofthePāṇḍavas.

TEXT3

प यत पा डप ाणामाचायमहत चमम्।यढ पदप णतविश णधीमता॥३॥

paśyaitāṁpāṇḍu-putrāṇāmācāryamahatīṁcamūm

vyūḍhāṁdrupada-putreṇatavaśiṣyeṇadhīmatā

paśya—behold; etām—this; pāṇḍu-putrāṇām—of the sons of Pāṇḍu;ācārya—O teacher; mahatīm—great; camūm—military force; vyūḍhām—arranged;drupada-putreṇa—by thesonofDrupada; tava—your; śiṣyeṇa—disciple;dhīmatā—veryintelligent.

TRANSLATION

O my teacher, behold the great army of the sons of Pāṇḍu, soexpertlyarrangedbyyourintelligentdisciple,thesonofDrupada.

PURPORT

Duryodhana, a great diplomat, wanted to point out the defects ofDroṇācārya,thegreatbrāhmaṇacommander-in-chief.Droṇācāryahadsomepolitical quarrel with King Drupada, the father of Draupadī, who wasArjuna's wife. As a result of this quarrel, Drupada performed a greatsacrifice,bywhichhereceivedthebenedictionofhavingasonwhowouldbeabletokillDroṇācārya.Droṇācāryaknewthisperfectlywell,andyet,asa liberal brāhmaṇa, he did not hesitate to impart all his military secretswhenthesonofDrupada,Dhṛṣṭadyumna,wasentrustedtohimformilitaryeducation.Now, on theBattlefield ofKurukṣetra,Dhṛṣṭadyumna took thesideofthePāṇḍavas,anditwashewhoarrangedfortheirmilitaryphalanx,afterhavinglearnedtheartfromDroṇācārya.DuryodhanapointedoutthismistakeofDroṇācārya's so that hemight be alert anduncompromising inthe fighting. By this he wanted to point out also that he should not besimilarlylenientinbattleagainstthePāṇḍavas,whowerealsoDroṇācārya'saffectionate students. Arjuna, especially, was his most affectionate andbrilliant student. Duryodhana also warned that such leniency in the fightwouldleadtodefeat.

TEXT4

अ शराम वासाभीमाजनसमाय ध।ययधानो वराट पद महारथः॥४॥