by Kīrtanānanda Svāmī
by Kirtanananda Svami
In the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita Krsna explains two main topics to his disciple Arjuna: the first has to do with the nature and activities of the Lord, and the second has to do with the activities of the living entity, which are sometimes called sanatana-yoga, or eternal activities of the living being. Krsna as the Supreme Lord of the universe is always transcendental, and in the first nine verses of this chapter we learn a great deal about the transcendental nature of the Lord. He first instructs Arjuna about the transcendental nature of Bhagavad-gita itself, and how this science was transmitted: "I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku." (Bg. 4.1)
So the first point to be made about the transcendental nature of Krsna is that He is the origin of all dharma. No system of religion can be manufactured by the mental speculator. Krsna definitely asserts here, "I instructed," and similarly He says that in the course of time, because of changes made in the transmission, the disciplic succession was broken. Therefore Krsna is again speaking the same message to Arjuna, "because you are My friend and devotee."
There are always two classes of men, the devotee, who is always trying to carry out Krsna's orders, and the demon, who is always envious of Krsna. The Lord speaks the message of Bhagavad-gita to the first class only, namely the devotees, such as Arjuna or Vivasvan, because they are not envious of Krsna, and will listen. But the demons never listen and are forever rebellious. They are convinced that they can figure out the Absolute Truth by their own mental speculation, and ultimately they conclude that they are as good as Krsna, even though they have none of the qualifications of Krsna. Therefore they cannot accept Lord Krsna as He is, and as He is portrayed in the Bhagavad-gita.
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