19900420 Bhagavad-gītā 4.7

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapātāka Swami on April 20th, 1990 in Tirupati, India. The class begins with a reading from The Bhagavad-gītā, chapter 4, text 7.

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya!

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya
naraṁ caiva narottamam
 devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ
tato jayam udīrayet

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramananda-madhavam sri-caitanyam isvaram

Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā 4.7

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

Translation: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bhārata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend myself.

Purport (by Śrīla Prabhupāda): The word sṛjāmi is significant herein. Sṛjāmi cannot be used in the sense of creation, because, according to the previous verse, there is no creation of the Lord’s form or body, since all of the forms are eternally existent. Therefore, sṛjāmi means that the Lord manifests Himself as He is. Although the Lord appears on schedule, namely at the end of the Dvāpara-yuga of the twenty-eighth millennium of the seventh Manu in one day of Brahmā, He has no obligation to adhere to such rules and regulations, because He is completely free to act in many ways at His will. He therefore appears by His own will whenever there is a predominance of irreligiosity and a disappearance of true religion. Principles of religion are laid down in the Vedas, and any discrepancy in the matter of properly executing the rules of the Vedas makes one irreligious. In the Bhāgavatam it is stated that such principles are the laws of the Lord. Only the Lord can manufacture a system of religion. The Vedas are also accepted as originally spoken by the Lord Himself to Brahmā, from within his heart. Therefore, the principles of dharma, or religion, are the direct orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam). These principles are clearly indicated throughout the Bhagavad-gītā. The purpose of the Vedas is to establish such principles under the order of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord directly orders, at the end of the Gītā, that the highest principle of religion is to surrender unto Him only, and nothing more. The Vedic principles push one towards complete surrender unto Him; and whenever such principles are disturbed by the demoniac, the Lord appears. From the Bhāgavatam we understand that Lord Buddha is the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared when materialism was rampant and materialists were using the pretext of the authority of the Vedas. Although there are certain restrictive rules and regulations regarding animal sacrifice for particular purposes in the Vedas, people of demonic tendency still took to animal sacrifice without reference to the Vedic principles. Lord Buddha appeared in order to stop this nonsense and to establish the Vedic principles of nonviolence. Therefore each and every avatāras, or incarnation of the Lord, has a particular mission, and they are all described in the revealed scriptures. No one should be accepted as an avatāra unless he is referred to by scriptures. It is not a fact that the Lord appears only on Indian soil. He can manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, and whenever He desires to appear. In each and every incarnation, He speaks as much about religion as can be understood by the particular people under their particular circumstances. But the mission is the same – to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes He descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son, or servant, or Himself in some disguised form. The principles of the Bhagavad-gītā were spoken to Arjuna, and, for that matter, to other highly elevated persons, because he was highly advanced compared to ordinary persons in other parts of the world. Two plus two equals four is a mathematical principle that is true in the beginner’s arithmetic class and in the advanced class as well. Still, there are higher and lower mathematics. In all incarnations of the Lord, therefore, the same principles are taught, but they appear to be higher and lower in varied circumstances. The higher principles of religion begin with the acceptance of the four orders and the four statuses of social life, as will be explained later. The whole purpose of the mission of incarnations is to arouse Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere. Such consciousness is manifest and unmanifest only under different circumstances.

*Gurudeva repeats verse and translation*

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes people ask that, they think that Kṛṣṇa has come down like an ordinary human being. But here in this verse Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa clarify that He descends Himself out of His own spiritual potency. He doesn’t come due to the law of the karma. Actually the Lord doesn’t need mother and father to come, He can come directly. But sometimes He’s accepting mother and father just to give some devotees the blessing. Just like Rādhā, or Sītā, they were not born to their parents, but they just came. Similarly, Varāha He came all of a sudden. But Narasiṁhadeva, who is the mother and father of Narasiṁhadeva? He came out of the column, to save Prahlāda. If the Lord wants, He can just come. But, if the Lord wants to come also with mother and father, He can come like that. But Kṛṣṇa came as son of Devakī and Vāsudeva. Rāma came as the son of Daśaratha. In this way this is their līlā or pastime. When Kṛṣṇa appears, He immediately was manifesting a four handed Nārāyaṇa form just like Bālājī (Kṛṣṇa’s form at Tirupati). But Devakī requested Him to take a small child form. So then Kṛṣṇa, He became a small baby and was taken by Vasudeva over to the house of Nanda Maharājā and Yaśodā. When Kṛṣṇa comes, the Lord comes in different avatāras according to the predictions of the Vedas. It’s not that there is any unscheduled avatāras. All avatāras are predicted already in the Vedas. Buddha is predicted, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is predicted, Kṛṣṇa is explained, Rāmacandra. Next avatāra is Kalki. There’s no other avatāra predicted. Although many people normally claim to be avatāra. But avatāra means ‘The Lord who descends’, and when He comes down to this material world, He comes with His own spiritual potency in order to deliver the fallen souls.

So when Kṛṣṇa came, He spoke this Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā we’re reading now, 5000 years later, because it’s spoken by God. If Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by ordinary man, then what is the value of speaking and reading Bhagavad-gītā today. Because Gītā was spoken by the Lord Himself, therefore it has permanent or  eternal value. Kṛṣṇa is giving the mysteries of life which people have been pondering and thinking about since time immemorial. The secrets that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s revealing in Bhagavad-gītā, these are directly the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, these are the highest principles of religion. That Kṛṣṇa explains

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram idam uttamam
(Bg. 9.2)

That, “I’m giving you the king of education, the king of knowledge, the greatest of all mysteries and secrets.” That actually this is the very glorious thing that the Lord He can come here in this world and He can show how His eternal pastimes are going on. Just like the governor, the chief minister, if they want they can go to the prison house. If they want, they can go to the street. Few days ago, the Andhra Pradesh Governor, it came in paper, he went to the Charminar shopping area of Hyderabad to see how the crowds are moving. He went without security guards. Just he went like that with husband and wife and one businessman. And they’re walking just in the street just like ordinary citizen. When the police saw they became startled, “How the Governor is walking like this? No police guards, nothing”, and immediately then supplied some plain policemen. He’s walking seeing the market. People are pushing. He’s just going in his punjabi (Indian torso apparel) and dhoti. no one is recognizing him. If the Governor wants who can say you cannot go in the street. Can anyone say? It’s his freedom. If he wants, he can come open. That’s the greatness. But we say, “God is great, but no He cannot come”, then what is the meaning? If he wants to, he can come. Whether the Governor comes in the street or if he goes to the prison house to see how the prisoners are, does that mean he’s a prisoner? No. Governor is always the Governor. He can go, he can release the prisoners also. Just like the President of India, if he wants, he can take away the death penalty. This prerogative is with him. In this way, he can go anywhere. He can go in a prison house. Similarly Kṛṣṇa, He comes to this material world. But He is not under the karma, He’s always transcendental. This is the beauty. So the devotees, they relish the pastimes when the Lord is coming to this world and acting like a very open way. They find this is more attractive than when the Lord is in Vaikuṇṭha, and is very hard to approach. Everyday Governor is sitting in Raj Bhavan and nobody is taking his picture. But when he came to the street, that was a new thing. So they took the photo and just published in the newspaper. Lord is always in Vaikuṇṭha, but when He is coming here it is a very special thing. Not everyday He is coming. yuge yuge, sambhavāmi yuge yuge, once in a yuga He comes. It is very wonderful when the Lord is coming here. And just like… this is like a prison house. So just by the Lord’s glance we can get free from this prison house, or we can very easily approach the Lord. When you have to see the governor, you have to make appointment, wait in line. But that day, anyone who knew, you can see just on the street. But most people, they didn’t recognize. They just thought some ordinary shopper. They didn’t know this is governor. Like that, Kṛṣṇa is coming. So He is not ordinary person. Governor is ordinary person like all of us, but Kṛṣṇa Himself is God. If we take example, although governor is a human being, but he’s got some powers. He can even take away the Chief Ministership. He can do so many things. But power is given by constitution. But Kṛṣṇa power is not given by anyone else, that’s why He says here ‘sṛjāmy aham’, - “I come with my own, my own self I come.” He Himself is giving Himself the power. When He comes, everyone could see Kṛṣṇa, so many people. But some were very fortunate to realize that it is Kṛṣṇa. Others who were foolish, they didn’t appreciate. Duryodhana could never appreciate Kṛṣṇa. Even Though Kṛṣṇa has shown His viśva-rūpa in his rāja-sabhā, even though so many things happened, he could not appreciate Kṛṣṇa because he was envious. But the bhaktas, they can appreciate Kṛṣṇa in all his beauty very easily. So, the secret for approaching the Lord, Kṛṣṇa explains, that, “I’m teaching you this because you’re My friend

bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti
rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam
(Bg. 4.3)

“You’re my devotee - bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti, you are my friend.” The demons who are envious of Kṛṣṇa, they’re not His friend, they’re not His devotee, this rahasyaṁ, this mystery, they don’t understand. But those who are devotees, they can easily understand the glorious position of the Lord. So many people are coming to Tirumalā Tirupati because they want also to contribute donation to Venkateśvara, Bālājī, Govindaji to pay back His debt. Help him pay his debt to Kuvera.  This is also the līlā, pastime of the Lord. That from previous yuga He came, and He had all these pastimes. This is the glory of the Lord, He can come and He can have the very nice pastimes, and He can engage His devotee in devotional service. The Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement is also meant to broadcast that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That everyone can engage in His service. This is the actual purpose of life. 500 years ago the Lord came as the golden avatāra, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa came as the Supreme Lord, His svayaṁ-rūpa. And Caitanya is the bhakta-rūpa. He comes as a devotee of Himself. This is a very mysterious form, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to Tirupati Tirumala, visited the temple of Bālājī, chanted

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

So we have our temple here because of course Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited this sacred land. He is devoted also to Bālājī. He Himself is the Lord, but Lord come as a devotee. Devotee is giving bhakti to the Lord very easily. Lord Caitanya is giving His own devotion more easily than when He came in Dvāpara-yuga as Kṛṣṇa. If you want to get bhakti for the Lord, you get very easily from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That’s why before we chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

We chant

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Everyone knows that mantra? By chanting that name of Caitanya, we get the devotion for Kṛṣṇa very easily. In the Vedas its predicted that in Kali-yuga, the Lord will come as the son of Śacī and 24 years would be gṛhastha, and next 24 years would be sannyāsī. All these things are mentioned in śāstras. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu took sannyāsa and He came here to South India, and He had He also preached. So now people picked up this process of daily chanting - 00:24:32]

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

When we’re coming in the train, so many people were discussing with us. That time also they mentioned that we are not doing a Vedic practice of spiritual life. Other religions are doing Vedic practice. Actually, the key system recommended in the age of Kali is kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. You should always be chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It’s not Vedic practice. This is nitya practice, constant practice. While working, while sleeping, while all activities, you go on chanting…

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

…as far as possible. In this way you keep the constant contact with the Lord, and this gives us very quickly devotion for the Lord. It says that

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ
bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ

This is the cleansing of the consciousness. When mirror of consciousness is wiped clean, you can see the Truth reflected perfectly in the mirror our consciousness. When this happens, the fire of material suffering is extinguished. Bhāva-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ. This is all auspicious. So this moon light of all auspiciousness, the transcendental life, spiritual life, everything is manifesting by the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. And we can taste the nectar at every step, the pure nectar. This process has been given not only for the rich people, or not only for the educated people, but for anyone. Whether rich or poor, whether educated or illiterate, whether learned or unlearned, whether very aristocratic or ordinary, if we chants this holy name, there's no bar. And one can quickly get the nectar of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. But the process is to get everyone to go on chanting in the house. Let them chant even in the āśrama, or in the house every day, regularly. And if one wants to advance, then it’s always recommended to chant and count a fixed number of times, with gradually increasing upto 16 rounds a day or more. When irreligion came again after Kṛṣṇa left, 4500 years after Lord Kṛṣṇa disappearance, then He came again as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to establish the principle of bhakti, of sanātana-dharma. Thank you all for helping in understand and studying the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to uplift the entire population.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

On knowledge plus devotion: How will they understand unless they’re taught? This is the glory of those who’re born in India, easily one can engage in spiritual activity, that tendency is there. But simply tendency is not alone sufficient. Bhakti and Vedānta, both are needed. The devotion and knowledge. Otherwise with only devotion, or bhakti without vedānta - spiritual understanding, that can become frivolous or it can become fanaticism. Only a jñānī, who only has knowledge but no bhakti, they become very mental, very speculative. The jñānīs are saying, “Why do you want to worship Kṛṣṇa? Everything is God! Floor is God, wall is God. Anything you worship.” By saying everything and anything is God, the Advaitavāda, they’re not actually promoting people’s spiritual consciousness. Rather they’re making people atheistic. This way if you say everybody is governor, so in this way you augmented governorship. Governor is one special person, but today you declare, “All citizen are governors”, or, “All citizens are kings”, then king has no more value, isn’t it? (Aside: Rādhe Govinda!) So they say everyone is God. So they’re neutralizing that everyone is equal, there is no Supreme God by default. So this creates confusion in the mind of the people. Like this so many confusion are there with only speculative the mind. So the combination is required, bhakti and vedānta. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He has the principle. He said ‘bolo `kṛṣṇa,’ bhajo kṛṣṇa, koro kṛṣṇa-śikṣā.’ Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, worship Kṛṣṇa and study Kṛṣṇa’s teachings. Kṛṣṇa’s teaching means Gītā spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and Bhāgavata spoken about Kṛṣṇa. You need also to study. That’s why we have daily class, to teach all these things in greater detail. That’s why people having some devotion, they should also stay and listen to the class. They should read, they should understand. What is dharma, what is adharma? In our heart, if we make a field, if you plant seeds, then you can have plants. But we have to eliminate weeds so that the plants would grow nicely. So Lord Caitanya said the same thing that if you allow adharma and dharma together in the heart, it will smother the dharma. We have to pull out the dharma and maintain the dharma. Then you can quickly grow in your spiritual life.  To do this we have to know what is the difference between dharma and adharma. Because children are innocent, they don’t know the difference – what is right, what is wrong? But when someone is grown… if a two-year old child pushes a button and this causes the death of someone, no one will make that child suffer because it doesn’t know. But if an adult does this thing and he says, “I didn’t know”, people may not believe. “You should know! You pushed the electric thing which is very careless, or even homicide, murder.”

(Aside: Rādhā-Govinda, Hanumān ki! Jaya!)

The more that someone knows about the science, they become more serious. More they practice. Theoretical knowledge is one thing. When you apply that, it becomes realized knowledge.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya was a small child, 3 years old, mother brought Him some sweet milk sweet to eat. That time he picked up some dirt from the ground and stated to eat. Mother said “What are you doing? Eating dirt?”

“You’re offering me this sweetmeat, sandeśa or something, this is nothing but earth. One form of earth. So eating this earth or that, what is the difference?”

Mother Śacī said, “How you learnt all these things? This is not proper understanding. Earth, in one form you add water, it becomes mud. But if you shape it like a brick or clay pot, you burn it, then you can hold the water. So one form of earth has one use, another form has another use. So you can eat sandeśa and other form of prasāda. But the raw earth if you eat, you get sick. You may die.”

Then Lord Caitanya, Nimāi said, “Why didn’t you tell me this before? How will I know what to eat, what not to eat, if you don’t explain all this to me?”

So even His mother Śacī, she pointed out how this Advaitavāda is impractical. If everything is one, I eat sandeśa or I eat dirt, it’s the same thing. But this is a transformation. Dirt in one form is not same as dirt in another form. So everything is energy of Kṛṣṇa. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65 / Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad). All is the energy of Kṛṣna according to the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣada. But different form is there. Material energy is one kind and the spiritual energy is other form. For Kṛṣṇa, they’re all His energy. But for us it’s different. So these advaita-vādīs, actually their philosophy is not practical, that’s why they cannot practice it. The Vaiṣṇava philosophy is practical, we can practice. Once an advaita-sannyāsī with a turban, he is arguing with one ISKCON sannyāsī saying, “All is one. Everything is one. You’re God, I’m God, everything is God, all is one.” So then discussion is going on. So finally the ISKCON sannyāsī took off his turban and threw it in the water.

“What are you doing!? My valuable turban you threw in the water?”

“Well it’s all one.”

“No no! It’s my turban!”

So their philosophy is not practical. It is only talk. Actually what they are saying is against the Vedas. Vedas say we should worship arca-vigraha. Why people are coming all over India, all over the world, to get darśana of Bālājī? Because this is arca-avatāra. This is one incarnation of Kṛṣṇa as arca-vigraha. Now they say everything is God. You can even worship the stone, the sky. These people are against …. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said Māyāvādi haya aparādhi.

Verified by: Your humble ever servant 
Vinoda Gopīkeśa Dāsa
03/03/2025 
Māyāpur India