SPD08-01 Introduction to Bhagavad-gītā
SPD08-01
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita
[00:04] [Prabhupada:] So, I shall speak on Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
[00:14] The purpose of saying Bhagavad-gita "As It Is" is explained that there are many editions of Bhagavad-gita.
[00:29] They are interpreted in their own way, giving up the spirit of Bhagavad-gita.
[00:40] So this particular name, "As It Is," is significant.
[00:43] Perhaps there is no other edition of Bhagavad-gita where it is written "as it is."
[00:54] In this connection, Professor Dimock of Chicago University has written a Foreword,
[01:05] and he very much appreciates the theme.
[01:11] He says, "Swami Bhaktivedanta comments upon the Gita from this point of view,
[01:18] and that is legitimate."
[01:23] He accepts that Bhagavad-gita As It Is is legitimate presentation of the great book of knowledge.
[01:37] And he also says, "More than that, in this translation the Western reader has the unique opportunity
[01:46] of seeing how a Krsna devotee interprets His own texts."
[01:53] So, about Krsna, the devotees actually can interpret about Krsna book.
[02:04] Others, if they are not devotee, how they can interpret on Krsna?
[02:12] Just like a member of a family can say very nicely about the head of the family.
[02:23] How outsiders can say about the family? That is not possible.
[02:29] Similarly, about Krsna, a Krsna devotee can speak nicely; not others.
[02:39] Others have no right to speak about Krsna, and Krsna also admits Arjuna
[02:51] as the right student of Bhagavad-gita. In the beginning, Krsna says that
[03:01] "I have selected you as My student because you are My friend and you are My devotee."
[03:12] So in other words, we can understand that Bhagavad-gita can be understood who has
[03:23] intimate relationship with Krsna. This is, Krsna says, "You are My dear friend."
[03:30] That is intimate relationship with Krsna.
[03:34] And without becoming a devotee, nobody can be intimately related with Krsna.
[03:42] These are the factors to be understood.
[03:47] So this Bhagavad-gita was spoken five thousand years ago to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kuruksetra,
[04:03] and the science of understanding God is there in this Bhagavad-gita.
[04:17] Bhagavad-gita is the science of God. Everything has got some science,
[04:26] scientific book, to understand that particular subject matter.
[04:33] Similarly, there are different types of concept of God.
[04:39] Generally, they take it as an idea. But we don't take it as idea.
[04:48] We take God as concrete fact. Just like you are seeing me, I am seeing you,
[04:58] this is concrete fact.
[05:01] Similarly, a God can be seen by you, and God is already seeing you.
[05:08] There is no doubt about it. But you can see also God.
[05:14] So that process we have to understand: how to see God. Yes.
[05:20] That process is mentioned in all the Vedic scripture.
[05:26] That is called bhakti-yoga, that process.
[05:31] Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita,
[05:41] if anyone wants to know Krsna, what He is, then one has to accept the process of bhakti-yoga.
[05:54] There are different types of yogas.
[05:57] Yoga means linking oneself with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
[06:05] So, speculative yoga will not help us. You have to take concrete yoga.
[06:16] Concrete yoga is Krsna consciousness.
[06:23] So we have given our Introduction of the Bhagavad-gita
[06:33] that one has to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is directed in the Bhagavad-gita.
[06:45] There is direction how to read Bhagavad-gita.
[06:49] People are reading Bhagavad-gita without taking the direction.
[06:59] This we have explained in the manner that if you take some medicine,
[07:05] there is some direction on the bottle that "This is the dose.
[07:11] You take so many drops so many times."
[07:14] That is direction. Similarly, for understanding Bhagavad-gita actually,
[07:22] you have to accept the direction as given by the author Himself, Krsna.
[07:30] He says that long, long ago, some forty millions of years ago,
[07:41] He first spoke this Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god,
[07:50] and sun-god transmitted the knowledge to his son, Manu.
[07:59] And Manu transmitted the knowledge to his son, Iksvaku.
[08:06] Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam, vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit [Bg. 4.1].
[08:20] So the rajarsis, they are all kings. Manu is king, Maharaja Iksvaku is also king,
[08:31] and the sun-god, Vivasvan, he is also king. He is the king of the sun planet,
[08:41] and his grandson Iksvaku became the king of this planet, Maharaja Iksvaku.
[08:55] And in this dynasty, which is known as Raghu-vamsa,
[09:02] Lord Ramacandra appeared. This is very old monarchical family,
[09:10] Iksvaku-vamsa, Raghu-vamsa. Vamsa mean family.
[09:15] So formerly, the kings, the head of the administrative executive,
[09:25] they used to learn the thesis, or the injunction, given by God.
[09:37] So according to Bhagavad-gita, only a devotee of Krsna,
[09:50] a person who is intimately related with Krsna, he can understand what is Bhagavad-gita.
[10:03] So Krsna... Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad-gita from Krsna, he addressed Him as param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan, purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum [Bg. 10.12].
[10:40] He understood Krsna as para-brahman. Para-brahman means the Supreme Truth,
[10:54] Absolute Truth, para-brahman. Brahman... The living entities, they are also called Brahman,
[11:08] but living entities are not para-brahman. Para-brahman means Supreme.
[11:17] So Arjuna addressed Him as para-brahman. And param dhama
[11:27] Param dhama means the resting place of everything.
[11:33] Everything is resting on the energy of the Supreme Lord;
[11:41] therefore He is called param dhama.
[11:45] Just like all these planets are resting on the sunshine.
[11:51] Sunshine is the energy of the sun globe.
[11:59] Similarly, this material energy is Krsna's energy,
[12:07] and everything is, material or spiritual, everything is resting on Krsna's energy.
[12:16] The resting place is Krsna's energy.
[12:20] In another place, Krsna says, maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-mūrtina, mat-sthani sarva-bhūtani naham tesv avasthitaḥ [Bg. 9.4].
[12:39] Krsna says that "In My impersonal feature, I am spread everywhere." All-pervading.
[12:51] God is all-pervading by His impersonal feature, namely His energy.
[13:03] The example is given just like heat is the energy of fire.
[13:10] Through fire it spreads by its heat and light.
[13:15] The fire is one place, but the heat and light is spreading.
[13:22] Similarly, Krsna is in His own abode, which is called Goloka Vrndavana.
[13:31] There is a planet in the spiritual world, the topmost planet.
[13:38] As the topmost planet within this universe is called Brahmaloka,
[13:45] similarly, in the spiritual sky, there is the topmost planet, which is called Goloka Vrndavana.
[13:54] That is Krsna's place. Krsna is there.
[13:58] But He can expand Himself by His different types of energies and by His different types of incarnation.
[14:12] It does not mean that when Krsna was present on this planet, Krsna was absent in Goloka Vrndavana.
[14:23] No. It is not like this. Just like I am now present here, I am absent in my apartment.
[14:33] Krsna is not like that. Krsna can be present everywhere;
[14:39] at the same time, He can remain in His own abode.
[14:45] That is described in the Brahma-samhita,
[14:52] Although He is in His abode, which is known as Goloka Vrndavana, He can expand Himself everywhere.
[15:05] Everywhere. And actually He has done it. So we must know how He has expanded,
[15:15] in which way He is in contact with us. That is the science.
[15:22] In Bhagavad-gita, these things are explained.
[15:26] So Krsna is addressed here as param dhama, the resting place of everything.
[15:33] Everything is resting. Krsna also says, mat-sthani sarva-bhūtani.
[15:38] Everything, material manifestation, is resting on Him.
[15:45] Naham tesv avasthitaḥ: "But I am not there." These contradictory things.
[15:52] Everything is resting on Him, but "I am not there." But it is not contradictory.
[15:58] It is very simple to understand. Just like the all the planets, they're resting on sunshine.
[16:06] But the sun is far away from the planets, some millions of miles away.
[16:14] But "resting on the sunshine" means resting on the sun. That's a fact.
[16:21] Therefore Krsna says, mat-sthani sarva-bhūtani naham tesv avasthitaḥ.
[16:28] Param brahma param dhama pavitram.
[16:33] Pavitram means uncontaminated.
[16:39] When we come to this material world, we are also spirit soul, brahman;
[16:47] not exactly as good as para-brahman, Krsna, but is still,
[16:54] because we are part and parcel of Krsna, we are also brahman. Pavitra.
[17:02] Pavitra means pure. Just like the particle of gold is also gold.
[17:09] If gold is pure, the particle also, pure.
[17:15] So Krsna comes to this world, we also come to this world. But we are contaminated,
[17:26] but Krsna is not contaminated. The example is, just like in the prison house,
[17:33] there are many prisoners, but if the king, or some king's representative, minister,
[17:42] goes into the prison to inspect things, how things are going on,
[17:48] it does not mean that the king or his minister is also a prisoner. He is not prisoner.
[17:58] But we, living entities, we have been entangled with these material modes of nature.
[18:08] But Krsna never becomes involved in these modes of material nature.
[18:15] Therefore He is called pavitram paramam, absolute pure, bhavan.
[18:25] Bhavan means "You, Your Lordship." And purusam. Purusam: He is addressed as a person.
[18:35] God is never imperson. God is person, exactly a person like you and me.
[18:45] And when He appeared on this planet: exactly like a human being, two hands, two legs,
[18:57] walking like human being, talking, behaving like human being-everything.
[19:04] So God is purusa. Purusa means man, I mean to say, male. Not female; male.
[19:17] Without becoming male one cannot be enjoyer.
[19:21] In another place it is stated that Krsna is the Supreme Enjoyer.
[19:31] As soon as the word is used "enjoyer," he must be purusa, male.
[19:37] So that is described. Arjuna understood Him, He is a purusa,
[19:44] param purusa, the Supreme Person. In another place Krsna is described as Purusottama,
[19:51] the best of the males. So, purusam, sasvatam. Sasvatam means eternal.
[20:03] The Mayavadi philosopher, they think that the Absolute Truth is imperson.
[20:15] Mayy asakta-manaḥ parthayogam yunjan mad-asrayaḥ, asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1].
[20:27] Arjuna is being advised by Krsna what is God.
[20:40] The conception of God, however we may speculate, it cannot be perfect,
[20:50] because God is unlimited, all-pervading; we are limited.
[21:01] So actually, unless God Himself reveals Himself to the devotee,
[21:11] it is not possible to understand what is God.
[21:17] Therefore God Himself, Krsna, is speaking about Himself. The processes is: mayy asakta-manaḥ.
[21:31] One has to increase attachment for Krsna.
[21:38] We have got now attachment for material things, and we have to divert that.
[21:48] Our position is that we must have attachment for something. That is fact.
[21:59] So now, on the bodily concept of life, we have got attachment to this body,
[22:09] and anything pertaining to this body we have got attachment.
[22:17] Just like I have got attachment for my wife. Why?
[22:24] There are millions and thousands of women, beautiful women.
[22:31] I have no attachment for them. But my attachment for my wife,
[22:39] even though she may not be very beautiful, is a fact. Why?
[22:46] Because due to her relation with my body.
[22:55] And similarly, I have got attachment for my country, I have got attachment for my home,
[23:04] my..., so many things, because I am thinking, "I am this body,"
[23:11] and anything in connection with this body, I am thinking "mine."
[23:21] So at the present, my conception of "I" and "my" is wrong.
[23:32] Therefore, if we divert that attachment to Krsna, then we can understand Krsna,
[23:44] or God, perfectly well.
[23:49] Krsna is just like sun. When there is sunshine, you can see the sun
[23:58] and yourself also. Without sunshine, in the darkness of night,
[24:05] neither you can see the sun nor yourself.
[24:11] Therefore the process is mayy asakta-manaḥ, developing Krsna consciousness.
[24:19] Mayy asakta-manaḥ partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayaḥ.
[24:25] This is the yoga. Yoga means connect.
[24:32] Yogam yunjan. That yoga should be practiced in connection with Krsna.
[24:39] Therefore He said, mad-asrayaḥ. Mat means "Me," or "Mine," and
[24:47] asraya means taking shelter. So either you take shelter of Krsna or Krsna's representative.
[25:00] Of course, it is not possible for us to take shelter of Krsna,
[25:07] because Krsna is not present at the present moment. But His representative is there.
[25:17] So one has to take shelter of His representative
[25:21] and practice bhakti-yoga, concentrating his mind on Krsna.
[25:30] This is called Krsna consciousness.
[25:33] One has to take shelter of a person whose life is devoted to Krsna, and under his direction
[25:47] we have to practice how to develop Krsna consciousness, and then Krsna will be revealed.
[26:00] The revelation, proportionate revelation, is proportionate advancement in seeing Krsna directly.
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