19970917 Bhagavad-gītā 14.26

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatāka Swami Mahārāja on September 17^th, 1997, in Bangalore, India. The class begins with the reading from Bhagavad-gītā 14^th Chapter Verse 26.

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

Translation: One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.

Purport: This verse is a reply to Arjuna’s third question: What is the means of attaining to the transcendental position? As explained before, the material world is acting under the spell of the modes of material nature. One should not be disturbed by the activities of the modes of nature; instead of putting his consciousness into such activities, he may transfer his consciousness to Kṛṣṇa activities. Kṛṣṇa activities are known as bhakti-yoga – always acting for Kṛṣṇa. This includes not only Kṛṣṇa, but His different plenary expansions such as Rāma and Nārāyaṇa. He has innumerable expansions. One who is engaged in the service of any of the forms of Kṛṣṇa, or of His plenary expansions, is considered to be transcendentally situated. One should also note that all the forms of Kṛṣṇa are fully transcendental, blissful, full of knowledge and eternal. Such personalities of Godhead are omnipotent and omniscient, and they possess all transcendental qualities. So if one engages himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa or His plenary expansions with unfailing determination, although these modes of material nature are very difficult to overcome, one can overcome them easily. This has already been explained in the Seventh Chapter. One who surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa at once surmounts the influence of the modes of material nature. To be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or in devotional service means to acquire equality with Kṛṣṇa. The Lord says that His nature is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, and the living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme, as gold particles are part of a gold mine. Thus the living entity, in his spiritual position, is as good as gold, as good as Kṛṣṇa in quality. The difference of individuality continues, otherwise there would be no question of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means that the Lord is there, the devotee is there, and the activity of exchange of love between the Lord and the devotee is there. Therefore the individuality of two persons is present in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual person, otherwise there would be no meaning to bhakti-yoga. If one is not situated in the same transcendental position with the Lord, one cannot serve the Supreme Lord. To be a personal assistant to a king, one must acquire the qualifications. Thus the qualification is to become Brahman, or freed from all material contamination. It is said in the Vedic literature, brahmaiva san brahmāpy eti. One can attain the Supreme Brahman by becoming Brahman. This means that one must qualitatively become one with Brahman. By attainment of Brahman, one does not lose his eternal Brahman identity as an individual soul.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami translation and purport to the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā As It Is Chapter 14, text 26

Jayapatākā Swami: One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman. Full devotional service, that’s a very top order to always do everything as the service to Kṛṣṇa. It requires adjusting one’s mentality continuously and bringing it in line with Kṛṣṇa’s desires. We do that by surrendering to the guru. We do that, a guru is Kṛṣṇa’s representative so if we can do what’s pleasing to the guru then we know that’s pleasing to Kṛṣṇa. We know what’s pleasing to Kṛṣṇa from the scriptures, from the śāstras. So by sādhu śāstra and guru we know what’s pleasing to Kṛṣṇa and we do those things. And this way then one can be engaging in full devotional service.

For brahmacārīs they have got specific environment and they have to follow the rules of brahmacārī āśrama. So for them it’s simple, they have advantage in the temple, they don’t have to deal with the material things so much, they can deal directly with Kṛṣṇa’s direct services. Although some of the brahmacārīs may be in to facing with the material world, someone may be doing legal department, someone might be doing the contracts department or whatever then they also had to deal with so many material things. But they’re doing directly as a service for the temple. So it feels very good when you know that this is for Kṛṣṇa. And the householders they can do everything as a full devotional service also but it requires a lot more adjustment. They have to connect varieties of things which are not direct devotional service normally.

Say somebody is working in their job, how to rationalize that’s a devotional service. If they use their workplace as a place to make contacts for devotional service just like there are some devotees who are in the Middle East who would like to come back and join the temple in Bangalore but I’m setting them to keep on working there because they’re doing nice preaching and they have many vṛndas. So they’re working is also a devotional service. But someone may be working and they’re maintaining their family in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way and they’re offering the food and their 50% of their income they’re somehow or in different ways spending on Kṛṣṇa conscious things. So their’s can also be considered a full devotional service. So depending on how the one can adjust their activities, they’re consistent, you can be, you can also do things and a feel that this is a devotional service because it’s authorized. If you’re not sure that it’s devotional service so how to make it devotional service, then you should get some advice from some senior devotees.

So in this way while we eat we offer to Kṛṣṇa. We read things which are either practical use to our material activities which are also connected to Kṛṣṇa, everything we connect it one way or another. So in that way then we can consistently be feeling that everything we do is a Kṛṣṇa conscious service and it should not be just that we feel that but we should know it because it’s authorized by sādhu, śāstra and guru. As Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned a lot here, our Lord is sat-cit-ānanda and we are also sat-cit- Sep, but we are small and Lord is big, we are anu and Lord is vibhu. Just like this ring that Prabhupāda wore has got certain quantity of gold. And a Kolar gold mine in its prime it had a lot more gold, I don’t know how much there is now (laughing). So gold in a gold mine and gold in a gold ring is gold but quantity is different, isn’t it? So when we come up to devotional service to the level of Brahman that doesn’t mean we merge into Kṛṣṇa or something, that means now we can directly relate with Kṛṣṇa because we understand we are spirit, Kṛṣṇa is Supreme Spirit and we are serving Kṛṣṇa on spiritual platform.

So then we should be careful not to mix things up. Sometimes devotees are still in, contaminated by mundane thoughts and then they pray to Kṛṣṇa for mundane things and that takes one away from the pure devotional service. Even when the gopīs were told they had to worship devī for husband they would pray for Kṛṣṇa. The pure devotees whatever they do it’s always connected with Kṛṣṇa, they don’t have any other connection. So that’s what keeps them always transcendental. But sometimes somebody may pray, even if we pray to Kṛṣṇa that somebody is sick, we want them to recover we say, if it so please You Kṛṣṇa. Rather we’re not asking Kṛṣṇa for anything which not His desire. If He has some higher plan and that plan means that that person doesn't get well, he will surrender to it. But if everything is equal we’re trying to may be influence Kṛṣṇa that if it pleases Him please let our dear one recover and become healthy. So we don’t want to make a business deal with Kṛṣṇa that I’m serving You, You give me something in material. So we qualify work very sensitive about this. We are serving Kṛṣṇa without condition, that is pure devotional service, unconditional surrender, unconditional service. Even if we have some material desire then we can also serve Kṛṣṇa but then Kṛṣṇa will give us the material desires first before He gives us Kṛṣṇa consciousness purely like He gave to Dhruva, or He may give simultaneously.

Just like our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is eternal we should understand that our relationship with the guru, once if somebody takes initiation their relationship is that permanent relationship, cakṣu-dāna dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei, even though birth after birth. Someone was writing that maybe yesterday I said some Sanskrit śloka wrong during the gītā recitation, please don’t, I hope that guru doesn’t reject me. Guru doesn’t reject for such things, the only, guru practically speaking never rejects a disciple. Only time when a guru is supposed to reject a disciple is if it disciple becomes very much inimical against the guru and is poisoning other disciples. If a disciple becomes like a blasphemer of Kṛṣṇa and is going around and saying horrible things against Kṛṣṇa and therefore to save the other disciples then only he will reject a disciple. Otherwise what is that guru gain by rejecting a disciple? He’s taking commitment to deliver the disciple. So you don’t have to, disciple doesn't have to fear rejection. You might fear that I’m not serving properly or I’m not being a good servant to my spiritual master or something like that. But one shouldn’t feel fear of a rejection from the guru’s side rather the guru is more afraid that disciples they may fall into māyā or they may reject a guru, why the guru will reject!

Even the scriptures says that even if a disciple is fallen and makes a mistake still there is no advantage to rejecting because rejecting you don’t save the. Try to like a doctor, if a patient goes sick, critical then he have to give intensive care he have to do something special but you don’t stop trying to save the patient. So you go on trying to save the patient until you know the patient has the desire to live then you keep on trying to save. Like that as long as a disciple is willing to try to do something Kṛṣṇa conscious then we try to save them. If some point the disciple says I don’t want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious then what can we do! It is voluntary. So nobody should feel this, sometimes we get this you know please don’t push me away or don’t reject me. That’s not a, even something to fear at all, it’s not part of our philosophy. You might fear māyā may bewilder you and take you away. Māyā may make you desire so much sense gratification and you lose your taste for Kṛṣṇa or something like that. Those are the things you should fear māyā, don’t fear the guru.

In fact a guru is like a mother, you see there’s a famous story how Gadādhara prabhu he went to see one famous devotee and he committed an offence by doubting that devotee sincerity and later he realized that devotee is actually pure at heart. So then he realized that inorder to get free of the offence I should become the disciple of that devotee. Because a disciple is always forgiven by the guru even he make so many mistakes. So just like a mother has a small baby he said that today was initiation for some devotees we say that initiation is like the birth. So when the baby is born is kicking the mother, holding on the lap right, so baby is kicking and he think does the mother or father mind with those kicks? You’ve kicked me! Oh! (laughing). Nobody does like that you know he is crack (laughing). So we expect if you, you know mistakes to be made, that’s part of our growing up spiritually. We hope you know if somebody is very old and they make a foolish mistake it may be painful, even then the mother doesn’t reject a child. Only if one child touched to go with a knife after the other children then you (laughing), you know, wait a minute, right. So that’s only time that if the question comes up.

So you should be taking more and more shelter of guru and the vaiṣṇavas but you should be very careful about māyā. As this verse said if you always engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service then you have no problem. Sometime as older devotees they become careless just like they think I’ve already served so many years, I did enough, now let me take a break. We’re like say that we are flying from here to New York and you’re halfway across the Atlantic ocean. If someone, I’ve flown enough now, lets turn off the engine for a while (laughing). Is that a very good idea? (laughing) Until we land in the spiritual world we shouldn't think about turning off the engine no matter how far we get we’re still flying, wait till the land then you can, no worry engine will turn off itself (laughing). You’ll get new engine, spiritual body. So one should keep on with their devotional service no matter what happens. Somehow māyā bewilders one and they stop chanting and stop practicing and they come into difficulties. So that’s what we’re worried about. So try to help each other to keep on chanting, I’ll be very grateful, keep everybody flying till we get out back to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Nitāi Gaura Sitānātha Premānande! Hari Hari bol! (Gurumahārāja ki jai!)

So because Māyāpur master planning is here in Bangalore so they call me down for consultations. So I could come to Bangalore. I hope you didn’t mind.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

I have to catch a flight now. So today this departure is always part rendering, such nice devotees. So hope we can keep in touch and be back here soon enough.

Haribol!