20070104 Bhagavad-gita 9.22

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 4^th 2007 in Coimbatore, India. The class beings with the reading from the Bhagavad-gītā Chapter 9, verse 22.

Bhagavad-gītā 9.23

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

Translation: But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

Purport: One who is unable to live for a moment without Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot but think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, being engaged in devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, offering prayers, worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, rendering other services, cultivating friendship and surrendering fully to the Lord. Such activities are all-auspicious and full of spiritual potencies, which make the devotee perfect in self-realization, so that his only desire is to achieve the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee undoubtedly approaches the Lord without difficulty. This is called yoga. By the mercy of the Lord, such a devotee never comes back to this material condition of life. Kṣema refers to the merciful protection of the Lord. The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable conditioned life. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So previously in the verse 20 Kṛṣṇa said that those who are trai-vidyā, knower of the three Vedas, they also worship the Lord indirectly and they take birth and in indraloka for they enjoy heavenly delight for a long time.

When their good karma is spent then again they have to come down to this earthly planet.  And this way if we are seek only sense enjoyment, then we are led to repeated birth and death. Lord Caitanya, He described this that sometimes we go to heaven, sometime we are on earth, sometime we are in hell; and this way we are going up and down like a man, like a criminal in a dunking soaking submerged in the water.

kabhu svarge uṭhāya, kabhu narake ḍubāya
daṇḍya-jane rājā yena nadīte cubāya
(Cc. Madhya 20.118)

So how many would like to go through this experience of elevation degradation, elevation degradation, repeated birth-and-death again and again? How many are here? Nobody is raising their hands. How many would like to end the cycle of birth-and-death?  Wow! I am in the right place. All the students here want the highest goal.

So the idea that Kṛṣṇa is explaining here yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (Bg. 9.22) that if somebody is always engaging in regular worship of Me through bhakti-yoga, then I provide whatever they need to get to Me. If we are responsible to do our devotional service to the Lord on a regular daily basis. Then He will reciprocate with us, and He will protect us. Kṣemam also means to protect.

You see, so there are different kinds of devotees. There is a devotee that called sakāma-bhakta – that devotee, who has many material desires and he praised the Lord to fulfill the material desires. Generally, many of the devas and people that live in the deva’s planet; they are all devotees, but they are sakāma devotees. They are devotees with many material desires.

Then there is also a higher devotee, who is serving the Lord for His pleasure. He doesn’t have any condition for his service, he just wants to please the Lord. This is called niṣkāma-bhakta. The devotee, who doesn’t have material motives. So gradually we want to transform ourselves into a niṣkāma-bhakta. Whatever kind of devotee we are, it is better to be a devotee than not. It is better to be a devotee than not be a devotee. But if we can become a pure devotee, someone who wants to please the Lord, then that person is very rare.

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) bhaktyā mām abhijānāti – nobody except My pure devotee can know Me. So we want to know the mysteries of Kṛṣṇa then we need also to be a devotee, then He reveals to us.  As someone is doing bhakti-yoga, they develop a higher taste, where they actually get spiritual happiness from serving Kṛṣṇa. How many of you are happy to participate in this ratha-yātrā fesival. So everybody raised their hand? Almost everyone raised their hand. So serving Kṛṣṇa is also very blissful, very pleasant. When Kṛṣṇa is pleased, then we are naturally pleased because we are part of Kṛṣṇa.

Just like when Durvāsā Muni went to the Pāṇḍavas, he sent a messenger that he wanted to feed his 10,000 disciples. So Draupadī had a magical pot that never ran out of food, as long as she didn’t eat. But she had already eaten. She was in a big dilemma. How is she going to feed Durvāsa Muni and his 10,000 disciples? And if she doesn’t feed them, then he may curse all the Pāṇḍavas. This was Duryodana’s trick. He was sure that by this time Draupadī would have eaten; they won’t be able to feed Durvāsā Muni, they will be cursed, and that will make my job easier. You all heard of this story, right? From Mahābhārata. So Draupadī went to Kṛṣṇa and she begged Kṛṣṇa,“What to do?” “You have a pot, you can feed them, you have unlimited food.” “No, but I have already eaten. I won’t have food until tomorrow again.” Then Kṛṣṇa said, “Bring me anything from your pot. Even a little subji.” Konjam, konjam! (Tamil) A little bit. So then… you didn’t translate my Konjam? No, you have translated into Tamil. If I speak Tamil, you have to speak English. Konjam! Little bit. Nanḍri! Thank you. So then she brought a little bit of prasāda and gave to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa took the prasāda and then He said, “Oh, I am feeling so satisfied.” And then when Kṛṣṇa felt full, Durvāsā Muni felt full, all his disciples felt full. “Oh, it is so full. If we go to the Pāṇḍavas, we won’t be able to eat anything.” So they all escape. And the Pāṇḍavas were saved – yoga kṣemam – Lord protected them. But it shows us how Kṛṣṇa is pleased, everybody is pleased. So how many want to be satisfied in their life? You see, so the secret to being satisfied is satisfy Kṛṣṇa. If you satisfy Kṛṣṇa, you will become satisfied.

We are generally thinking, “Give me, give me, I want to be happy!” Koḍu, give me! So but if you actually give to Kṛṣṇa, then you get really happy. So bhakti-yoga teaches us how to serve Kṛṣṇa and the ways that He likes to be served. He likes hearing when you hear about Him; when we chant about Him, or remember Him śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ smaraṇaṁ vandanaṁ, when we bow down to Him. So like this we do the nine practices of devotional service nava-vidha bhakti. So in this way, Kṛṣṇa gets very easily pleased by His devotees.

This Ratha-yātrā festival especially is an easy way to please the Lord, pulling His chariots, dancing before the Lord, glorifying Him. So everyone for instance, can chant every day Hare Kṛṣṇa, even if you have material desires, Lord will give you that He knows better than you what you need to be happy. You may pray I want 10,000 rupees, you get 10,000 rupees, but you find it is not enough. I need a 100,000 rupees. You get 100,000. But it is not enough either. “Oh, I need 50 lacs!” So like this, our desires we never really know what we need to be happy. And as they say, money alone cannot make you happy. So to be really happy, we need to please Kṛṣṇa, whether we have all kinds of desires or no desires or desire for liberation.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
(ŚB. 2.3.10)

That whether whatever we have all desire, no desire, mokṣa desire we should offer tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena – pure devotional service. So how many are committed to offering devotional service? You want to be a bhakti-yogīs? Thank you.

Nanḍri!
Hare Kṛṣṇa!