19881121 Bhagavad-gītā 12.10

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Mahārāja on November 21, 1988. The class begins with a reading from the Bhagavad-gītā, Chapter 12, verse 10.

abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si
mat-karma-paramo bhava
mad-artham api karmāṇi
kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi

Translation: If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

Purport: One who is not able even to practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, under the guidance of a spiritual master, can still be drawn to this perfectional stage by working for the Supreme Lord. How to do this work has already been explained in the fifty-fifth verse of the Eleventh Chapter. One should be sympathetic to the propagation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There are many devotees who are engaged in the propagation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and they require help. So, even if one cannot directly practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, he can try to help such work. Every endeavor requires land, capital, organization and labor. Just as in business one requires a place to stay, some capital to use, some labor and some organization to expand, so the same is required in the service of Kṛṣṇa. The only difference is that in materialism one works for sense gratification. The same work, however, can be performed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, and that is spiritual activity. If one has sufficient money, he can help in building an office or temple for propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Or he can help with publications. There are various fields of activity, and one should be interested in such activities. If one cannot sacrifice the results of his activities, the same person can still sacrifice some percentage to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This voluntary service to the cause of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will help one to rise to a higher state of love for God, whereupon one becomes perfect.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the 12^th chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā is a chapter of devotional service of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga the science of devotional service is declared by Lord Kṛṣṇa to be very quick swift deliver from the ocean of birth and death it is considered to be the most intimate of all the yogas. Sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. Therefore bhakti-yoga is given its own chapter in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhakti-yoga has its perfection. The full consciousness of Bhagavān or the love or prema for Bhagavān but there are different levels of love for god or Kṛṣṇa-prema. In the previous verse Kṛṣṇa explains that is some one is able to fix the mind on me him without deviation always in pure devotion then one will live with him without doubt. The next stage is if you are not able to naturally fix your mind on me then you follow regulative principles abhyāsa-yogena in this way you develop and desired to attend me mām icchāptuṁ dhanañ-jaya is spontaneous natural desire.

That was the first line here in verse 10 it explains the next level of love of God where one is not able to fully practice all of the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga the regulations but they have a desire to achieve perfection then they should do work for Kṛṣṇa, mat karma. Basically this is recommended karma-yoga as  the next level of kṛṣṇa-prema. Regulative principles of devotional service meant to practice devotional service under the guidance of spiritual master. Following principles like rising early in the morning taking bath this taking bath early in the morning may seem something very ordinary but, in many countries, cannot understand this daily taking bath early in the morning. We found  discovered recently after the devotees are free from the labor camps in Russia one devotee gave history when he was in the prison house every morning he would rise and he will take his cup and made himself so the other prisoners they became angry why you are taking bath everyday what's wrong with you? If you take once a week its more than enough. And they said they are going to they got angry with him they just picked one excuse that you use your cup to drink and you also bathing that means your cup is dirty so your bath is also not good so because of this we are going to kill you but we able to kill you but we are not such a hidden criminals but we want to communicate with the persons down stairs that they can take care of you the next opportunity so they note down stairs some of the hidden criminal. 

They put the devotee with the hidden criminal not came back from there what's wrong with you people? We have got one of the Hare Kṛṣṇas too his name is Vṛndāvana Dāsa. He always take the morning bath he always chanting the names of Hare Kṛṣṇa names of God. why you people so foolish? Can’t you see these people are saints? They are holy peoples, sādhūs. You should not threaten them or beat them. You should protect them. you are very lucky to have saint people with you and if you have anything to ask then deal with us.

Prabhupāda ki Jai! Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki Jai! saying that they don’t understand sometime why they should take bath and In Europe they have invented perfume because these people bath once in many months. So the bad smelling was coming so they put perfume that way they can smell. That’s how they called the toilet, toilet water. You won’t smell the bad odour, people became so dirty that the hair would fall off so they developed week system. But this is not Indian culture, this is a old fashion western culture. So part of the thing stick back.  So be externally clean and internally clean. Externally clean comes from bathing and washing. Internal cleanliness comes from chanting: 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda, offering prayers, reading Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and hearing from the pure devotees. These all are the purifying activities. In this way Kṛṣṇa explains it by practicing under a bona fide spiritual master. Everyone requires a bona fide Guru to take shelter  of the Guru to take initiation from the Guru and to advance step by step following a regulative practice break of devotional service but then there will be some that they find that they are not quite ready to follow all the regulative principles the dietary rules the bathing rules etc of the sādhana-bhakti of the regulative devotional service but they want to do something for Kṛṣṇa they want to achieve perfection. They want to help other people so this also a level of the devotion a level of love.  This is explained today in the 10th verse even if someone cannot fully practice regulations of the bhakti-yoga they should still try to work for Kṛṣṇa. And they can gradually practice some of the regulations as much as possible. Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Nitāi-Gaura ki Jai! Nṛsimhadeva ki Jai! how to do work has been explain in the 55th verse of the 11th chapter,

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu
yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.

One who is engaged mat-karma-kṛn in devotional service then Kṛṣṇa promises that they will go back to him, they will go mat paramo to the Supreme abode. So what work is there for Kṛṣṇa? Biggest work is  propagating the glories of Kṛṣṇa. In every yuga there is a yajña,

krte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum tretāyām yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyām kalau tad dhari-kirtanāt

In Satya-yuga the yajña was meditation, in Treta-yuga it was homa fire sacrifice, in Dvāpara-yuga it was worshiping in the temples. In South India there are many ancient temples coming even from Dvāpara yuga but today in Madras paper Dr. Alexander, the governor of Tamil Nadu made a statement that there are thousands of temples which do not have enough finance even to do weekly pūjā. They afraid they may become closed down altogether if something is not done. Actually in Tamil Nadu why should we build a new temple?  We approached to give us a old temple because all of the pūjārīs requested. But they are not agreed for various reasons the government at that time. May be now they will change their idea. But in the previous yuga there are many temples but now we find that the temples are not maintaining so well. Because simply the temple worship without propagation of the glories of the Lord is incomplete in this age because this is the age of kalau tad dhari-kirtanāt glorifying Hari that is the yajña for the age is chanting the holy names.

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalaṁ
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Chant the holy names of Hari, Chant the holy names of Hari, Chant the holy names of Hari eva kevalaṁ is all they recommended sacrifice kalau in the age of kali nāsty eva there is no other alternative, nāsty eva is no other alternative, nāsty eva is no other alternative. gatir anyathā which will take you to the Supreme destination or this is the only recommended way and there is no other recommended way. So all of the practices the yajñas, temple worships, homa, the meditation should be accomplished with the japa with the kīrtana the names of Kṛṣṇa especially in the Kali Santaraṇa Upaniṣad the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra is recommended:

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

iti śoḍaśakam nāmanāma kali kalmaṣa nāśanam
nātah parataropāyaḥ sarva vedesu dṛśyate

This is the only recommended and authorized process in the śruti, smṛti, Vedic mantras, pañcarātrika-vidhi states that all mantras has all tantras has all yantras all have combined together within the four syllables Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. These eight syllables have so much potency. So the propagation of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam of the sacrifice of the chanting the holy names and the glories of the Lord is a special sacrifice or process for this age. So this gives a lot of karma, Kṛṣṇa karma, that we can do. People in general need to be educated in the purpose of life, in the origin of life, in the origin of the universe, in the relationship with Kṛṣṇa and in the glories of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Here the project is not to simply construct a building or temple in the ordinary sense but rather than preaching facility for educating and uplifting the entire population and visitors to Bangalore. To inject this spiritual life into the healing social body and although there may be thousands of temples in other places there are not so many nature temples to Kṛṣṇa Balarāma. I don’t know any. Here in such a grand city like Bangalore so this definitely gives activities that one can likely perform for Kṛṣṇa, in which Kṛṣṇa has explained in the 11^th chapter brings a person back to him. This is a means of booking your ticket back to Vaikuṇṭha back to Goloka. If we work for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will take us back, back to his own abode. By working for Kṛṣṇa then we gradually also start to try to practice chanting we can also develop more and more transcendental qualities but even my working alone this has got unlimited benefit. It is said that whatever one gives away in charity one gets back. One never looses. But if you give to a someone who is brāhmaṇa who is spiritually conscious even he is not qualified you get back double but if he is fully qualified you get back ten times.

Even if he is not pure, even when he is not educated but qualified ten times you get back. Nowadays there are different levels of brāhmaṇas someone who is expert in performing rituals and yajñas by giving it to them you can get thousand times back. What the next is ten, hundred. Then there is four five levels of brāhmaṇas you get hundreds thousands then they what is called vedavit, vedāntavid - one who knows the conclusion of the vedāntas by giving to them you get hundred thousand times. But then there is pure Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇas who are propagating bhakti, pure devotional love to of the Lord, by helping them by doing karma helping them to glorifying the Lord one gets back unlimited results more than crores of time, unlimited. You cannot put a price tag on it so valuable. Certainly lot of health is required to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness whoever helps in propagation they are very rare persons, they are very fortunate, they are glorified. So we should understand that even a little service to Kṛṣṇa can go a long way. In the bhagavad gita Kṛṣṇa explains “sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt” even by a small practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can be saved from the greatest dangers.

Ajāmila he did named his son after the name of Nārāyaṇa so at the end of his life somehow he called his son and by that he could remember Nārāyaṇa. How a lord ever forget such a person’s service? Even if it seems insignificant by material standard still Kṛṣṇa is very grateful He doesn’t forget. One can fully absorb in regularly offering service in offering publications of books, in building the temples, developing the programs and preaching to others according to one’s ability. Some say I have no time I’m busy doing business. Prabhupad said business means Busy-ness you are always busy. So when you ask a business man to come to the temple he will say I’m busy. Doing business so that they can contribute some of the hidden truths for the development of the program. But say that someone they are not having any financial solvency let them give them some time. Let them come and do some voluntary work. If someone cannot do any voluntary work physically then let them speak to others. By speaking they can do service they can do work, telling others about the wonderful process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And this way either by intelligence or capital or land or service or speech by all means or any means. We should like to help in this great sacrifice this is the special mahā-yajña in Kali-yuga it is not very difficult you don’t require anything to  chant Hare Kṛṣṇa actually. Simply the tongue in mouth is there by always vibrating some non-sense there and there we can vibrate

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

But unfortunately here the people are already biased people so you taking the trouble to climb this mountain and sit here and hear the Bhagavad-gītā and chant hare Kṛṣṇa and to taste the feast of Kṛṣṇa prasādam but there are many people who are naturally enthusiastic they don’t wind up here. So there are thousands and thousands of people are there in order to convince them to leave the TV set and they require very big temple, big facility and then they think yes it is very important I’ll go to temple. Prabhupāda said you should do bhajana inside a grass hut this is a very ideal place for chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. But people in the materialistic world today they won’t come in many numbers. So therefore we must construct some nice facilities to accommodate many people to attract many people. We follow this formula in Māyāpur the birth place of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Before early one person would come the whole day but now in one day thousands and thousands of people are coming. Twenty five thousand people or hundred thousand people come in one day. Our project is not even one percent finished. So similarly, we can understand by following the formula regularly hundreds and thousands of people will be visiting regularly in the future if we have facility otherwise we don’t need it. We can chant anywhere.

For uplifting the people we take risk kṛṣṇa-karma so the devotees work very hard doing kṛṣṇa-karma. You see they are running here and there in scooters, climbing up and down, watering to tulasī, making garlands, bathing deities, going on distributing books, meeting people, meeting life members, meeting public so on. So what is the difference work doing there and work doing ordinary person in the material world? The difference is explained that they are doing kṛṣṇa-karma. We all are doing karma but we all should do some kṛṣṇa-karma. They are doing karma for self. What we do for Kṛṣṇa for Kṛṣṇa has given us everything. From birth we have to the ability we have to speak everything the whole world everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So what we do to repay Kṛṣṇa the great in debtness we have to him? S one of the means of repayment is kṛṣṇa-karma. So the difference between a pure devotee and the devotee is what extent they are engaged in kṛṣṇa-karma?

If someone is purely engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s work he is a pure devotee, and if someone is doing a Kṛṣṇa work or some work for their own interest separately Kṛṣṇa’s interest then that means they are devotee also but they are mixed devotee. So even mixed devotion is far better than no devotion. And they are doing work for Kṛṣṇa means they are very advanced. Is only by working for Kṛṣṇa up to the pure devotion is not all of a sudden one goes from no devotion to pure devotion. How is it possible? Its not that someone automatically driving the car without any training so no one should be discouraged that I’m not able to do pure devotion, therefore I should do no devotion. They should everyone should do as much kṛṣṇa-karma as possible. In this way naturally the kṛṣṇa-karma will bring them to the perfectional stage. This is Kṛṣṇa’s statement mad-artham api karmāṇi kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi – by working for me you will come to the perfectional stage. Even if someone says that I cannot practice all these vegetarianisms all the time eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam so better I don’t worship Kṛṣṇa because I know that pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa are vegetarian. They only eat Kṛṣṇa prasādarians. Not exactly vegetarian even monkeys are vegetarian. We eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam so some people they come to want to be a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa want to become a vegetarian eating Kṛṣṇa Prasad they may think its vegetarian but I like to eat other things so its better to find other devas and devis I can worship and let them eat other all thing. Even I know Kṛṣṇa is supreme but its not the right diet for me so let me eat something else. We shouldn’t give all these to mental speculations and confessions. We should take Kṛṣṇa’s advice. If you can follow any aspect of devotional service anyway at least work for Kṛṣṇa, by working for Kṛṣṇa you come to the perfection of platform.

Kṛṣṇa is very kind he will accept whatever you offer. You can offer more purely best to your benefit but to your extent you are able to offer your work or devotion. Kṛṣṇa will accept, especially if you offer through his devotee if his devotee accepts then Kṛṣṇa accepts. In New York city 1966, when Prabhupāda first establishes temple there, many people would come to offer service sometime the usual kinds of people like I’m giving to they in a temple in New York 52^nd avenue all of a sudden one very big over 60 tall man having a big box walk right into the temple with his shoes and stood at the centre of everyone. Some devotee become very offended that he is walking right with his shoes inside the temple. The whole class was disturbed, interrupted abruptly. Prabhupāda looked at him and said that yes, how can we help you? He said, I brought this to you swamiji. So what is it? Toilet paper. Put at that by the door. He took that box full of paper rolls he put it by the door and he walked out. Prabhupāda said very nice service attitude although Prabhupāda would have said that he came with his shoes off or even we don’t use toilet paper much or we don’t use that thing or anything. But he told the one good point. He came to offer service so that service Kṛṣṇa accepts, Prabhupāda accepted. So by that service that person is connected to Kṛṣṇa so if we go on doing service everyday or every week or often as possible then so much more to our benefit.

Today is a sacred day of Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī one of our previous ācāryas. Our founder acharya is Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda his guru is Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. His guru is Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī. Today is a sacred day we remember him he is very unusual because he was illiterate, he couldn’t read and write. But he was literate in the understanding of philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He would hear from all the great saints although he was not educated formally, he realized all essence of devotion. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was fully qualified educationally and his guru he don’t know how to read and write.  But it doesn’t matter because he doesn’t want to learn how to read and write from his guru. He wanted to learn the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī, he was so renounced he will brought down when he will eat from empty skull  to remind him of the temporary nature of the material world. He was a great vairāgī. He used to chant hundreds of thousands of names of Kṛṣṇa.

All the people will realize his spiritual power and will come to him to get āśīrvāda blessings. They will come and ask give me a good child, give me this or give me that. Actually nobody came to ask how to practice Kṛṣṇa bhakti?  They are only coming for the only superficial things they can get anywhere. So he decided to separate the devotes from the materialistic people he started to chant next to the public urinal which had a bad smell. So people because they don’t like the smell of the place and they don’t bother him. But one time one very rich man he wanted to put a very big yajña for harināma and he wanted to invite all of the great saints, great sādhūs and Vaiṣṇavas. So he know that the sadhu of that time Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī. He went to him and requested that my dear bābājī I wanted you to come and preside over the function. Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī said you want me to come to your function to increase your name and fame? No no no I want to serve you. I’m simply your disciple, I’m your servant then whatever you said I’ll do. Oh yes. You’re just saying that? Whatever you said I’ll do I just simply want to propagate your glories. All right you said you’ll do so sit here and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. No no no swamiji (everyone laughs). Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī had sense of humour. He was in a very elevated, so he didn’t like all these superficial things. He was always feeling separation for Kṛṣṇa. The stage at which he has a desire for Kṛṣṇa, he has a deep desire for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, we will pray he may bless that all the people present and all those who are working for Kṛṣṇa in this project will help in the future to get a special blessing from Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī to develop a strong desire to attain Kṛṣṇa. This is his special gift he was feeling all his love of Kṛṣṇa so much even where he sit didn’t matter. He simply wanted to concentrate in Kṛṣṇa. We cannot imitate that. So here I’ve to close the discussion and thank you for your preaching. Hope that all of you will achieve perfection by doing Kṛṣṇa karma. Mat karma, kṛṣṇa-karma paramo bhava. All achieve the supreme destination.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa!