19931227 Bhagavad-gītā 4.36-39

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami given on February 27,1993 in Singapore. The class begins with a reading from the Bhagavad-Gītā chapter 4, text 36 to 39.

api ced asi pāpebhyaḥ
sarvebhyaḥ pāpa-kṛt-tamaḥ
sarvaṁ jñāna-plavenaiva
vṛjinaṁ santariṣyasi

yathaidhāṁsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sāt kurute ’rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi
bhasma-sāt kurute tathā

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ
pavitram iha vidyate
tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ
kālenātmani vindati

Translation: Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.

As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.

In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become accomplished in the practice of devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of time.

A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.

Purport:

Such knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be achieved by a faithful person who believes firmly in Kṛṣṇa. One is called a faithful man who thinks that simply by acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he can attain the highest perfection. This faith is attained by the discharge of devotional service and by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, which cleanses one’s heart of all material dirt. Over and above this, one should control the senses. A person who is faithful to Kṛṣṇa and who controls the senses can easily attain perfection in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness without delay.

Jayapatākā Swami: These verses are transcendental knowledge. that by having transcendental knowledge one can burn away all the bad karmas in life, all the reactions to material activities these are the fruit of all the sins and by doing devotional service one gets this knowledge and attain supreme spiritual peace. Knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very very special. it is not the ordinary knowledge that we gain in the material world. It is the very special knowledge, because it gives us the vision of our self, we can realize our own spiritual identity. The knowledge is so powerful, like a fire it burns away all the bad reactions. In India there are many going on in their paths, they are many brāhmaṇas who are being born in priestly families and are very proud of their education. But in the modern context we find that they are not so qualified in every case. In this way 500 or 450 years ago after Caitanya Mahāprabhu was on this planet, at that time, after he left the planet.  Narottam das Thakur had returned from Vṛndāvana and he began his devotional service at Kheturi. We can recall, Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura was a crown prince of a kingdom, but he didn’t accept the throne, instead he said, he just wanted to do devotional service. He was the only heir to the, only son to his father, the king. So that man, the king’s brother’s son, he became the next candidate, for next to be the king. Most people if they have to be the king, they won’t give up, but Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura he only wanted to worship Caitanya Mahāprabhu. To serve him, he wasn’t interested in being the king. Fortunately, his cousin brother was a very good devotee. Although he became the king, he did it in a very devotional attitude. Managing everything very much in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this name was Santosh Roy. So, when Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura and his friend, godbrother, cousin brother. Godbrother, Rāmadāsa Kavirāja, Rāmacandra Kavirāja, at that time they were together on, in this Kheturi. Because they offered him some facility to build in the temple, for the deities, the government’s support was very good. In a sense, he didn’t become the king and the government was supporting him. Not interfering in giving some facilities like temples, so on, so on. He accepted that, as being useful in devotional service. So, he and Rāmacandra Kavirāja one day they went down the Padma river to take the bath. You know this pastime. While they went down, on the way, they saw two brāhmaṇa boys who were hurting some cows, some buffaloes and some goats with some servants. So, they are very aristocratic brāhmaṇa, their men. When their servants, they are taking goats and buffaloes. So, look like they must be taking to make an offering. Sometimes brāhmaṇas are two categories: Vaiṣṇavas, who worship Lord Viṣṇu, who always take vegetarian food. Then there is the non-Vaiṣṇavas, they worship, some of them worship certain forms of devi like Durgā, like Kāli and on a certain night, the Amāvāsya. Now is a full moon, on a dark moon night, they offer this animal sacrifice. So, Vedas they say that in Kali-yuga animal sacrifice is not recommended but they are still doing it. It was much better to offer vegetable sand rice, other things in the sacrifice, take that as a remnant. so Narottama, the great spiritual master with Rāmacandra Kavirāja, another great spiritual master. As they were walking, they saw this. Very intelligent brāhmaṇa boys. They said would it be nice if they will become devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Then Rāmacandra Kavirāja said it would be nice if we could preach to them because it is very obvious that they are taking these animals to be sacrificed. But then Narottama said, they probably won’t listen to us. we just go up and talk to them. They won’t listen. Then Rāmacandra Kavirāja he had an idea. He told his idea. So, all of a sudden, he started to have a mock argument. That means one of them took the negative role and one of them took the positive role. Once they were saying, what’s wrong with it to offer an animal in the sacrifice it’s in the Vedas, isn’t it? The other one said, well maybe it might be in the Vedas. But people don’t know what the Vedas are saying, those mantras are saying you have to whisper in the animal’s ear, I am taking your life now, but in the next life, you can kill me. But nobody knows Sanskrit are they, so they are doing all these without knowing what these rituals mean. Actually, it’s not good. But anyway, you are just a Vaiṣṇava, what you know? The brāhmaṇas are greater than Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇas are the most exalted in the varṇāśrama, in the varṇas no doubt. The brāhmaṇa has twelve good qualities, but a Vaiṣṇava is even greater than a brāhmaṇa or is automatically greater. They are considered to be a brāhmaṇa plus more. A Vaiṣṇava has thirteen qualities. The twelve of the brāhmaṇas and one more. Where is it said in the Vedas? No, then he quoted so many verses. So, like this, one pointing the negative qualities, the other one was answering the questions. The quoting, speaking very loud. Walking write behind the boys like this. Five meters behind ten meters behind. So, they could clearly hear, what was being said. The two said who are those two. They seemed very learned. Then know so much of philosophy. What they are saying sound very convincing. The one is Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura. The other one is Rāmacandra Kavirāja. Actually, what they are saying makes a lot of sense, we should surrender to them and take up this path of bhakti-yoga by worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. They ran and offered their obeisances to Narottama and Rāmacandra Kavirāja. They asked, they introduced themselves to be the son of one smārta brāhmaṇa known as Sivananda Bhattachaya. Very famous smartha of that place. So, they introduced them to Narottam das Thakura. They said we want to take shelter of you. Please give us spiritual guidance. Very much embarrassed because we have these animals which are meant for sacrifice.  We want to release them; they told the servants to protect the animals. but your father will be very angry if he doesn’t see animals for sacrifice. They said you are under our control now, you let go these animals, you go back and tell our father that we are not coming back now, we are going to stay in the ashrama of Narottam das Thakura and study Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Although previously, see brāhmaṇa would not be initiated by a non-brāhmaṇa and Narottama was son of a kṣatriya, he was a crown prince but he gave that up and he became pure Vaiṣṇava. But the brāhmaṇas they thought what is this.  A lower caste has initiated the higher caste. Like that there so many pastimes that came. At the end, then people became convinced in a very unusual way. Two different things happened.  One of the things that happened was after sometime they actually as per initiation, these two boys they took initiation. They also became, got Vaiṣṇava names. Then they went back to see their father, when their father saw them shaved up, with the tilaka, all dressed as a Vaiṣṇava devotee, Hare Kṛṣṇa devotee, he became very angry. Kulādhama! Kulādhama! You have ruined our family tradition, you are despicable, how could you come as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa? This is a great offence to our tradition. So many other offensive things. When the sons started to explain it, what he was saying was not correct. Hahahaha! Now I have to hear my own son telling me, my little pets telling me what, I won’t listen to you. You won’t listen to me, alright, I am going to bring some pandits they will explain to you. So, he brought some brāhmaṇas and said convince my sons that they are wrong. They went to a discussion and the sons convinced the brāhmaṇas that they were wrong, the brāhmaṇas then became Vaiṣṇavas. So, the father became more angry. You foolish brāhmaṇas. I am going to get big brāhmaṇas Digvijay, he has conquered everyone, going around the whole country, defeating, he is a great argumentation, with logic, reason, he will defeat these. So, then they brought the Digvijay, send him a message and told him that he should come and defeat my sons. He said what am I gonna go and discuss with your sons. you need my dignity to speak to sons like that.  You will get some leading Vaiṣṇava, I will go and defeat him, not just ordinary children. I don’t want to deal with just children.  So, then they convinced one Bhagavān ācārya. Bhāgavata Ācārya, one Vaiṣṇava, pure devotee was there. He said we would go up and we shall discuss with the Digvijay. So that Digvijay came with all of his śāstras and thousands of disciples. And Bhāgavata Ācārya he came and they had a discussion and it wasn’t very difficult for Bhāgavata Ācārya to convince that there is a Supreme Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is the origin of everything.   Janmādy asya yato. since this material world have some quality, the absolute truth must have some quality otherwise where does the come from? the Vedas are saying that these qualities are coming from the absolute. absolute is the field of quality but his quality is transcendental, there’s no beginning and no end and This material world is temporary, it has beginning, it has end. having knowledge of the absolute truth is the supreme knowledge.  Having knowledge of the supreme personality of godhead is the supreme knowledge of the absolute truth. That digvijaya he never heard of the Vaiṣṇava philosophy before. He had no way to defend himself, he didn’t have any logic, there was so much śāstric evidence for whatever was being said by the Vaiṣṇava ācārya. He immediately defeated him. now usually before if someone was defeated, he would accept the other person as his guru. It was a system. But he started abusing.  In some other Kali yuga. He said alright I would give up being a paṇḍita, I am giving up all my disciples. And I am just going to wonder around the world as a beggar because I have been defeated.  Not that he didn’t accept, he was defeated. He didn’t have the answer, neither did he accept to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the defect in kali yuga, simply by arguing you might defeat someone but they may not agree to come or become. that’s why lord Caitanya has said that simply by argument one cannot learn this, one has to actually open the consciousness and listen, then you get the transcendental knowledge, so he was a person who got defeated but he didn’t get the knowledge. those boys they have the knowledge, the Vaiṣṇava ācārya had the knowledge but this Digvijay, he was a prejudice, he didn’t open his consciousness so He couldn’t get the knowledge. Prabhupāda told the story how there were two people arguing, one person was saying it’s one the other was saying it’s two. They got into such heated argument that one person started beating, no one, no two, so they ae having a big fight, no it is two, no I say it’s one. Finally, one man took him over to the water and put him under the water and then he said alright it’s one, two. Alright put him under the water again. The man under the water. Out came the hand, two. Even if he is drowning, he is dying, this way sometimes people are very stubborn and they don’t listen, they don’t learn, they just want to stick to whatever they are doing. But one who is more intelligent he has to be realistic about things and actually try to understand from those who know who have this knowledge. otherwise they will meet the same fate as the richest frog in the world.  You know that example. You know the example of the richest frog in the world? You don’t know English? You understand? anyone doesn’t know English, for them you can translate. Everyone knows English. raise your hands who know English. you don’t. then raise your hand that you know English. You don’t know? He doesn’t know? Just see there was a beautiful pond, lake it was known as the frog lake, it was filled with frog. It had a big place where every day the king’s elephant would come and bathe. you have seen in the Guruvāyur temple in south India they have 50 big elephants place they have. In every day they do different processions, 3,4,5 times a day. But the minimum 3 everyday. So like  that a king stayed in Māyāpur we have two elephants . Now in the winter every Saturday night they go on procession around the park with the deities on top of the elephant. So, then this elephant would go every day to be bathed by the mahout by the caretaker then they would go back. One day, one very intelligent frog was jumping around under the water and he happened to come across a half rupee coin, one those days a half rupee coin was quite a bit of money because it’s not so much inflation. There would be enough food for the family for some days. Half rupee. He then jumped on top of the half rupee and claimed it, these are mine. Now I have more money than any other frog the other frogs they don’t have any money, so he declared now, I am the richest frog in the world. What other frog? Have you ever seen a frog with money? Do they have a Singapore dollar, or a deck?  So, he was having half a rupee so he became very wealthy. He announced to all the other frogs that look at me, I am the richest frog in the world. few frogs came around, they were quite impressed. Look at that. How does it feel to be rich?  What you are gonna do you have become so rich.  Don’t worry I won’t forget about you. I am going do something for the frog nation, I am going to promote frogism, let all the frogs in the world be benefitted.  I will see every frog gets a fly in their pot. Some frogs said we have very big problem. What’s that? The elephant he comes in and swishes around the water and al the frogs get scattered here and there. Alright, I the richest frog in the world hereby declare that from this day onward no elephants will be allowed in frog’s lake.  All the frogs were cheering because it was wonderful. Glories to you! he was feeling very proud. You are taking care of all the problems. But then the elephants started to come with the elephant keeper. the frog says here comes the elephant what you are gonna do? no, you recognize me? I am the richest frog in the world. frog: stop! Elephants don’t even stopped by dog, what’s a frog?  Neither do they understand frog’s English. Elephant is walking along, swaying along. The other frogs saying elephant is not stopping. Tthe richest frog in the world he jumped. Landed up on the lake of the  frogs. Stop, stop. don’t go further. The elephant couldn’t even feel the frog. Get off elephant’s lake. Under the ground. in the next step, elephant’s foot, went on top of the frog. the frog was squished. He didn’t know what happened. He has been walking on his way to the lake. All the other frogs who’s around, let’s go back to the lake where we belong.

Sometimes people get some fame or power, some kind of facility, and they forget to compare, elephant is like time. Who can stand in the face of time? Recently in China they are celebrating the mounci Centenario but twenty years ago they had changed everything he made once he passed away even he thought he would live forever. Human beings, they all get smashed by time. time is the crusher for everyone.  So here this frog he got little bit of material accumulation, he thought he was gonna change the whole world but he got smashed by time, smashed by the elephant. Like that we see people they get so much temporary knowledge, but they don’t know what the eternal life is what is the self, what is time. if they had this transcendental knowledge, they can then actually transcendent these difficulties. bodies get crushed by time but ātmā the self never dies.  Lord Caitanya requested his followers who would go all around and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.  Because by this they will be saved from birth, death, old age, disease, suffering. here by chanting a person after this lifetime they go back to Kṛṣṇa, they don’t come back to this material world by chanting, studying the Bhagavad-gītā. This is the December month, is the Bhagavad-gītā month, when Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to Lord Kṛṣṇa by Arjuna. He is giving this transcendental knowledge so that Arjuna can be saved from this. Duryodhana was something like this frog, he didn’t want to listen to anybody, he got crushed but Arjuna he was very fortunate and he listened to Kṛṣṇa, advice in the form of Bhagavad-gītā and he achieved all success. he became the emperor of the world, he became the most important, one of the most important people in the world. But he never asked this spiritual reason.  It’s not that Kṛṣṇa doesn’t want his devotes to have wealth or fame. He wants them to have these things but not at the cost of their transcendental knowledge. If someone has transcendental knowledge, they can use all those things in a proper way. if the material energy is engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, it becomes spiritualized, it becomes the cause of the deliverance of the conditioned souls. but if the material energy is used for the sense gratification, how to gratify the senses, it rather creates for us a bad karma. we become more and more entangled in both karmas and although in the beginning we are having happiness in the end we have to suffer for that. sometimes people get married with great enthusiasm but because of lack of spiritual knowledge and proper Kṛṣṇa conscious perspective then the whole thong turns sour and becomes source of misery. There was one Ātmadeva, who wanted to have a son but couldn’t get a son until one sannyāsī gave him a blessing to get a son, somehow or other but then the son turned out to be so horrible. he robbed from the parents, he would go and he would do all sort of things. His father said, I was happier I was without son. it’s worse to have a bad son than no son. So that is the duality of the material world. so one with transcendental knowledge in these dualities of the material world knows how to be in the material world not be entangled.  just like this material world has been described as the net of the spider. Kṛṣṇa is like the one who weaves the net but the spider, does the spider get caught in the web. you ever saw the spider get caught in his own web? Spider doesn’t get caught. did you see the flies get caught. What about the baby spiders ,  do they get caught ?  baby spiders also crawling up the same net but they don’t get caught.  So when you become a devote of Kṛṣṇa you get this transcendental knowledge , so that you don’t get caught in the  net of maya, of illusion . so that you can be protected from that bondage. so that you can achieve unlimited happiness. You get the supreme spiritual peace.  before, you know, a few great souls would get that knowledge. But Lord Caitanya want everyone to get. so, let everyone have this. Why should anyone suffer? Everyone should get the equal chance. lord Caitanya wanted everyone get this opportunity that they should get the supreme peace. So why should only few priests and kings, let everyone get the chance. let the businessman, the workers the housewives should have the chance.  Let everyone get the chance, whoever wants it. The devotees by giving Bhagavad-gītā, by giving this knowledge, they are giving the greatest jewel. But if you walk up to someone and you say here, I am gonna give a diamond. They might think he is joking. nobody is gonna give a big diamond. Big diamonds give a hundreds of thousands of dollars. who is going to give me a diamond?  It may be a may be it is not real diamond. These devotees are trying to give this greatest of all gifts. People they can’t even appreciate it. How could it b , how could somebody give it away, how could  something be so good? We have a restraunt in America that restraint was, they started giving out free food . Nobody was coming, free food must not be any good. So they started a dollar a half all you can eat. So many people came. Very good thing. Pay something. Then it’s okay. Then it’s good. If free, people think free. Why are they giving out free? But if we are not to put up price on the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.  Anything we put would be an insult. It will be worth billions or more than that. we can’t put price it’s more than anything in the whole material world. So, we just have to give the holy name just like that, although we may take some donation for prasādam. Somehow devotees may convince others. Although you are giving out something wonderful. In Kali-yuga it’s not as easy as it sems. Somehow or other people are giving this opportunity by reading the Bhagavad-gītā, by associating with devotees, by coming to temple, by giving some transcendental knowledge then we can understand, oh this is very nice I should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa  Kṛṣṇa  Kṛṣṇa  Hare Hare Rama  Hare Rama Hare Rama  Rama Rama Hare  Hare 

On transcendental knowledge: You see one of the glories of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is vidyā vadhū jīvanaṁ, it is the life of transcendental knowledge, it gives the person the capacity to get transcendental knowledge. Just like say someone has got no appetite but there is some Chinese, some Indian medicine you can take, take that, it will create some fire in the stomach and give you appetite, isn’t? those who are suffering with lack of appetite, if they take some herbs, it will help to get appetite . This chanting increases your ability to digest transcendental knowledge, it gives that appetite, it gives that knowledge, the knowledge can’t come by itself. if you are presenting yourself very humbly that alone is very good characteristic to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya, He said whoever is the most unqualified, I will deliver him first. Even the ācāryas have all the good quality, they are very learned , the sons of princess, the great sons of kings, great prime minister, they are completely presenting themselves, I am the most unqualified person, I have no qualification, I am most fallen, I should get the mercy first , that’s the secret to get Lord Caitanya’s mercy, if someone deeply feels, I have no qualification , that is a very good qualification to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya . he is known as Bhūridā. He wants to help the suffering people. Just like there are many philanthropists, they want to help who needs their help most. So, Lord Caitanya, He wants to give just no ordinary welfare it’s no ordinary welfare, he will give them something with will be totally uplifting people, spiritually uplifting people which will give them peace of mind, which shall make their whole life in all aspect auspicious. by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you can get that mercy.  Also one time,  there was a devotee in Kumbha-melā at 1971, I remember he asked Prabhupāda, how is it that I came in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I have no qualification, I have no education , I have done so many wrong things in my life, I don’t see any good quality, How is it that I have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and get this very good fortune. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that because I have made your good fortune. I have made your good fortune. Prabhupāda is praying to Kṛṣṇa to deliver the fallen souls and sometimes so many devotees are praying to Kṛṣṇa to please have mercy on this candidate. Prabhupāda is blessing like that, Guru is also blessing like that. sometimes simply by the blessing of the Guru and Kṛṣṇa(?) even otherwise we have no qualification. So, this whole we are always focused in, you are very fortunate.

Devotee: The last verse in Bhagavad-gītā where Sañjaya said wherever there is Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, there is fame fortune etc. My question is that Sañjaya instead of telling Dhṛtarāṣṭra that you can be liberated by, why did Sañjaya was telling him to get these material opulence like fame, victory, why didn’t he say that you go to the forest?

Jayapatākā Swami: you see, Sañjaya says that I have heard the conversation of two great souls Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna and so wonderful is that message that my hair is standing on end.  He was appreciating the spiritual input, his hairs were standing on end, he is speaking to Dhṛtarāṣṭra , how much can Dhṛtarāṣṭra understand.  He is explaining that by the mercy of Vyāsa I have heard this most confidential talks directly from the master of all mysticism.   Etad guhyam ahaṁ param yogaṁ yogeśvarāt the lord of all Yogic opulence was speaking personally to Arjuna. So, he knew that Kṛṣṇa was the supreme. That he is remembering the wonderful form of Kṛṣṇa. So then finally yogaṁ yogeśvarāt kṛṣṇāt sākṣāt kathayataḥ svayam. There will be, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all the mystics, wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also be śrī, opulence, opulence not only material opulence, spiritual opulence, there will be victory, that the extraordinary power of royalty. This is not the end in all statement but this is, to consider in the beginning of the whole Bhagavad-gītā began. So, starts off about who is going to win, see Dhṛtarāṣṭra wants to know what’s going to happen? He is blind, so he is asking Sañjaya, what’s happening in the battle, who is going to win. What is the indication? Arjuna was out, he said he didn’t want to fight, the whole discussion happened, now at the end Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he says okay I will fight. the concluding word, you have to consider the whole Bhagavad-gītā , so he is saying wherever there is Kṛṣṇa , so there’s all opulence, all power, there’s all victory, so indirectly he is telling Dhṛtarāṣṭra that no , he is on the wrong side , in that context, there is so many other indication of the whole Bhagavad-gītā , so we are also bringing that in the focus, in the context of the Bhagavad-gītā, he only understood who is going to win.

Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā ki! Śrīla Prabhupāda ki! Jaya!