by His Holiness Acyutānanda Svāmī

His Holiness Acyutananda Svami, an American devotee in the renounced order of life, has been actively preaching Krsna consciousness in northern India for the last five years. He is the editor of a book of Krsna conscious songs written by great spiritual masters, soon to be published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

WHEN WE SPEAK OF a Krsna conscious devotee, we do not refer to a person born in a family of devotees or someone wearing two white lines on his forehead. Since "Krsna" refers to the Supreme Lord, every living creature is naturally a Krsna conscious devotee. Because our false egos cover our Krsna consciousness, however, we think that we are Christians, Hindus, Indians, Americans or Russians, or that we are tall, short, brown, white and so on.

We should understand the term "Krsna conscious devotee" to be identical to the word jiva, "soul."

The real nature of the living entity is to be the eternal servant of Krsna. The living entities constitute the marginal potency of the Lord, which although different from Him is not different from Him. In his true form, the soul is a person, a person who has a romantic relationship with Krsna. When purified of material illusion's limitations, this loving energy will bloom in our consciousness. If it does not, this indicates imperfect realization.

Bhagavad-gita and all Vedic literatures clearly establish these points, but we always meet people who get the whole message backwards. To understand why they do is not easy, for the scriptures themselves explain the process of knowing the Lord: loving devotion alone. The Gita's verses affirm repeatedly that only through devotion, not merely by studying speculative doctrines or contemplating a formless void, can one attain perfection. Krsna reveals to Arjuna the gita-rahasya, or secret of the Gita, not because Arjuna is a yogi, Vedantic scholar or monk, for he is not. Arjuna is a worldly householder, soldier and politician. What, then, qualifies him to receive the Gita's secret? What is it in Arjuna that draws from Sri Krsna the secret of the Gita? Lord Krsna tells Arjuna, bhakto 'si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam: "Because you are My devotee and intimate friend, I reveal this secret to you." (Bg. 4.3) As a label's instructions explain how to take a medicine, so this verse explains the process for understanding the Gita: one should simply become a friend and devotee of Krsna, and He will then reveal everything.

After Sri Krsna thoroughly explains hatha-yoga and meditation, Arjuna refuses to follow these processes. "My mind is too unstable to control," he says. "It would be easier to control the wind." Does Lord Krsna then chastise Arjuna for being a cowardly disciple and not taking up such yoga? Does He encourage Arjuna in any way to follow the hatha-yoga path? No. He tells Arjuna, "Of all yogis, he who worships Me with faith and devotion I consider the best." (Bg. 6.47) In the Third Chapter the Lord discusses karma-yoga and then jnana and hatha, but of all yogis, Krsna considers the devotee supreme.

In the Eighth Chapter Krsna says that one can reach the Supreme Lord only by bhakti: bhaktya labhyas tv ananyaya (Bg. 8.22). Ananyaya means "in no other way." This Eighth Chapter abounds with verses directing us to accept the path of devotion rather than any other. In the seventh verse Krsna urges us, "Always think of Me and at the same time carry out your duty with your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed upon Me." Again in the fourteenth verse, the Lord stresses the same exclusive devotion. "For one who remembers Me unflinchingly, and who constantly engages in devotional service, I am easy to obtain."

In the Ninth Chapter the Lord describes the specific character of a mahatma, a broad-minded great soul, as being that of a devotee. Beginning with the thirteenth verse, the Lord extols bhakti, emphasizing again that it is ananya, the only path:

O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls (mahatmas), are under the protection of the divine nature. They fully engage in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible. (Bg. 9.13) The term ananya indicates that no other way is at all acceptable. What are the characteristics of these mahatmas?

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion." (Bg. 9.14)

The Lord then lists nondevotional practices performed by anye, "others." Who are these others? Since the mahatmas glorify and worship Krsna, those who cultivate speculative knowledge, meditate upon the universal form, or worship the abstract one, diverse in many, are not mahatmas but merely "others."

The famous twenty-second verse assures devotees that if they reject all other engagements and single-mindedly concentrate upon Krsna, they need not bother for their personal needs, for the Lord says, "I personally maintain one who engages in My service." Special words in verses twenty and twenty-one also note that the heavenly planets are not the ultimate goal and that one should not worship as equal to Krsna the demigods who preside there. Many common readers of the Gita think that all gods are equal and that it therefore does not matter whom one chooses as his ista-deva (worshipable Deity). But in verse twenty-five the Lord says otherwise. Yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam: Other devotees achieve other destinations, "but only those who worship Me will live with Me." And how should one worship the Lord?

One may worship Him even by offering only "a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, with love and devotion." (Bg. 9.26) Certainly it is not the value of the leaf, flower or fruit that attracts the mercy of the Lord; it is the bhakti, love. This bhakti should enter every aspect of one's life, for the Lord says:

"All that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me." (Bg. 9.27)

The Ninth Chapter ends by describing bhakti's astounding purificatory quality of being able to turn sudras into saints. The Lord declares, na me bhaktah pranasyati: "My devotee will never perish." (Bg. 9.31) In the final verse, whose words are again repeated in the Eighteenth Chapter, the Lord enjoins:

"Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34)

Lord Krsna does not have much time to talk to Arjuna, for the battle cries have already been heralded. He teaches Arjuna in the most concise words. Therefore anything the Lord repeats is most significant.

The Tenth Chapter contains four of the strongest verses stressing the importance of bhakti (verses 8-11).

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." (Bg. 10.8)

How do devotees behave? What always engages their minds? "The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me." (Bg. 10.9)

Then:

"To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." (Bg. 10.10)

And finally:

"Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance." (Bg. 10.11)

An intimate friend always knows deeper truths about someone than those who gather information from outsiders. Indeed, no one can say more about you than you yourself. Similarly, no one can tell more about Krsna than Krsna Himself, and He chooses to reveal such knowledge to His intimate devotees.

After revealing the universal form to Arjuna, Krsna shows His four-armed form and then His humanlike two-armed form and says:

"This form which you are seeing with your transcendental eyes cannot be understood simply by studying the Vedas, nor by undergoing serious penances, nor by charity, nor by worship. It is not by these means that you can see Me as I am." (Bg. 11.53)

How is it, then, that Arjuna can see the transcendental form of the Lord? The next verse echoes the answer given in the previous chapters:

"My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding." (Bg. 11.54) The Brahma-samhita mentions this same point. Vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau: "The Lord is rarely known through Vedic study but easily known through self-surrender." (Bs. 5.33)

The Twelfth Chapter is entirely devoted to steering us away from the difficult path of impersonalism. Arjuna puts the question clearly: "Which yogi do you consider the higher-the one who contemplates Your formless aspect or the devotee who worships Your form?" Lord Krsna's answer is just as direct and clear as the question:

"The Blessed Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be the most perfect." (Bg. 12.2)

In the fifth verse the Lord totally discourages mental speculation on formless, attribute-less Brahman, and, in the chapter's remaining fifteen verses, He totally supports bhakti-yoga.

The following chapters of the Gita give an analytical description of Lord Krsna, His supremacy over the material modes of nature, and His presence as the Supersoul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The conclusion of the Fifteenth Chapter is bhakti:

"Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata." (Bg. 15.19)

The conclusion of the Eighteenth Chapter, the Gita's last, and therefore the conclusion of the entire Gita, says, bhaktya mam abhijanati: "Through devotion am I to be known." (Bg. 18.55) And the repetition of man-mana bhava mad bhakto ("Thinking of Me, become My devotee") leads us to the Gita's final statement-sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." (Bg. 18.66) There is no room for challenging or misunderstanding these statements.

The purpose for the above summary of the Gita is to reveal over forty-five verses exclusively supporting the path of bhakti.