19900420 Bhagavad-gītā 4.7

The following is the class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on April 20th, 1990 in Tirupathi, India. The class begins with a reading from The Bhagavad Gita chapter 4 text 7.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

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

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 Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.

Translation with repetition:

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

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

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 avatāra, 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 – Do you want to translate [Not Clear - 00: 6:51 to 8:10] 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.

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami:

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 Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.

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 Radha or Sita they were not born to their parents, but they just came. Similarly Varaha He came all of a sudden, but Narasimha Dev, who is the mother and father of Narasimha Dev? He came out of the column, to save Prahlad. 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 Devaki and Vasudev.

Ram came as the son of Dasaratha, in this way this is the lila or pastime. When Kṛṣṇa appears He immediately was manifesting a four handed Narayana form just like [Not Clear - 00:11:47]. The Devaki curses Him to take a small challenge form.

So then Kṛṣṇa He came as Maya Devi and was taken by Vasudev over to the heart of the Nanda Maharaj, in Yashoda. If Kṛṣṇa come, the Lord comes in different Avatars according to the predictions of the vedas. It’s not that unsaid Avatar, all avatars are predicted already in the vedas. Buddha is predicted, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is predicted, Kṛṣṇa explain, Ramacandra, next avatar is Kalki, there’s no other avatar is predicted. Although many people normally claim to be avatar, that avatar means that somehow He descends and then He come 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 Gita, the Bhagavad Gita we’re reading now 5000 years later because it’s spoken by God. If Bhagavad Gita was spoken by ordinary man then what is the value of speaking and reading Bhagavad Gita today. Because Gita was spoken by the Lord Himself therefore it has permanent and eternal value. Kṛṣṇa is giving the species of life which people have been conquering and thinking about since time immemorial. The secrets that Lord Kṛṣṇa given in Bhagavad Gita, these are directly the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore these are the highest principle of religion. That Kṛṣṇa explains

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaḿ

pavitram idam uttamam

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 [Not Clear - 00:16:10] and dothi 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 outside that’s a great men. 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, is that mean he’s the prisoner? No. Governor is always the Governor he can go, he can release the prisoner also. Just like the President of India if he want he can, he may take away the death penalty [Not Clear - 00:17:05]. In this way he can go anywhere, he can go in prison house if he. Similarly Kṛṣṇa He come to this material world but he is not under the karma, He’s always transcendental, this is the beauty, that the devotees can relish the pastimes when the Lord is coming to this world and experience these nectarian [Not Clear - 00:17:33] they find this the more attractive than when the Lord is in Vaikunta, and it is very hard to approach. As you see Governor is [Not Clear - 00:17:45] and nobody is taking his pictures as when he came to the street that was the new thing. So they took the photo and just published in the news paper.

Lord is always in Vaikunta but when He is coming here 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 the prison house that just by the Lord’s glance we can be free from this prison house or we can very easily approach the Lord. Do you have to see the Governor like you know get his appointment, wait on the street line. But that day anyone who know you just see he’s on the street. But when people they can’t recognize, he’s just like some ordinary shopper, they didn’t know this is Governor.

Like when Kṛṣṇa is coming, He is not ordinary person, Governor is ordinary person like all of us, but Kṛṣṇa Himself is God. It’s the same 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 come everyone could see Kṛṣṇa, so many people but somehow they unfortunately realize that He’s Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise they see Him they cannot appreciate, [Not Clear - 00:19:52] you can never appreciate Kṛṣṇa. Even Though Kṛṣṇa has shown His vishwaroop in his raj sabha, even though so many things happened you could not appreciate Kṛṣṇa because he was in the, like a bhakta they can appreciate Kṛṣṇa [Not Clear - 00:20:15] religion restricted for approaching the Lord. Kṛṣṇa explain like proper science to Kṛṣṇa, that I’m teaching you this because you’re My friend

bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti

rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam

You,re my devotee bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti, you are my friend. For demon who are envious of Kṛṣṇa, they’re not His friend, they’re not His devotee, this rahasyaṁ, the 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 Tirumala Tirupati because they want also to contribute for [Not Clear - 00:21:20] Govindaji to pay back their debt. How many people accept the [Not Clear - 00:21:30] this is also the lila, 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 [Not Clear - 00:21:57] that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead that everyone can engage in His service you see [Not Clear - 00:22:05]. 500 years ago the Lord came as the Gaura manifest, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa came as the Supreme Lord His svayam rūpa and Chaitanya is the bhakta rūpa. He come with devotee of Himself, this is very prestigious form and Chaitanya Mahāprabhu came to Tirupati Tirumala exhibit the [Not Clear - 00:22:36] chanted

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare