Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (20 page)

Arjuna has already accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master by surrendering himself unto Him:
śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam.
Consequently, Kṛṣṇa will now tell him about the working process in
buddhi-yoga,
or
karma-yoga,
or in other words, the practice of devotional service only for the sense gratification of the Lord. This
buddhi-yoga
is clearly explained in Chapter Ten, verse ten, as being direct communion with the Lord, who is sitting as Paramātmā in everyone's heart. But such communion does not take place without devotional service. One who is therefore situated in devotional or transcendental loving service to the Lord, or, in other words, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, attains to this stage of
buddhi-yoga
by the special grace of the Lord. The Lord says, therefore, that only to those who are always engaged in devotional service out of transcendental love does He award the pure knowledge of devotion in love. In that way the devotee can reach Him easily in the ever-blissful kingdom of God.

Thus the
buddhi-yoga
mentioned in this verse is the devotional service of the Lord, and the word
sāṅkhya
mentioned herein has nothing to do with the atheistic
sāṅkhya-yoga
enunciated by the impostor Kapila. One should not, therefore, misunderstand that the
sāṅkhya-yoga
mentioned herein has any connection with the atheistic
sāṅkhya.
Nor did that philosophy have any influence during that time; nor would Lord Kṛṣṇa care to mention such godless philosophical speculations. Real
sāṅkhya
philosophy is described by Lord Kapila in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
but even that
sāṅkhya
has nothing to do with the current topics. Here,
sāṅkhya
means analytical description of the body and the soul. Lord Kṛṣṇa made an analytical description of the soul just to bring Arjuna to the point of
buddhi-yoga,
or
bhakti-yoga.
Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa's
sāṅkhya
and Lord Kapila's
sāṅkhya,
as described in the
Bhāgavatam;
are one and the same. They are all
bhakti-yoga.
He said, therefore, that only the less intelligent class of men make a distinction between
sāṅkhya-yoga
and
bhakti-yoga.

Of course, atheistic
sāṅkhya-yoga
has nothing to do with
bhakti-yoga,
yet the unintelligent claim that the atheistic
sāṅkhya-yoga
is referred to in the
Bhagavad-gītā.

One should therefore understand that
buddhi-yoga
means to work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the full bliss and knowledge of devotional service. One who works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of
buddhi-yoga
and finds himself always in transcendental bliss. By such transcendental engagement, one achieves all transcendental qualities automatically, by the grace of the Lord, and thus his liberation is complete in itself, without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge. There is much difference between work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and work for fruitive results, especially in the matter of sense gratification for achieving results in terms of family or material happiness.
Buddhi-yoga
is therefore the transcendental quality of the work that we perform.

Bg 2.40

TEXT 40

TEXT

nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti

pratyavāyo na vidyate

sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya

trāyate mahato bhayāt

SYNONYMS

na-
there is not;
iha-
in this world;
abhikrama-
endeavoring;
nāśaḥ-
loss;
asti-
there is;
pratyavāyaḥ-
diminution;
na-
never;
vidyate-
there is;
svalpam-
little;
api-
although;
asya-
of this;
dharmasya-
of this occupation;
trāyate-
releases;
mahataḥ-
of very great;
bhayāt-
from danger.

TRANSLATION

In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.

PURPORT

Activity in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or acting for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa without expectation of sense gratification, is the highest transcendental quality of work. Even a small beginning of such activity finds no impediment, nor can that small beginning be lost at any stage. Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure. But any work begun in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished. The performer of such work is therefore not at a loss even if his work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete. One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent; whereas, in material activity, without a hundred percent success, there is no profit. Ajāmila performed his duty in some percentage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but the result he enjoyed at the end was a hundred percent, by the grace of the Lord. There is a nice verse in this connection in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
bhajan na pakko 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

"If someone gives up self-gratificatory pursuits and works in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then falls down on account of not completing his work, what loss is there on his part? And, what can one gain if one performs his material activities perfectly?"
(Bhāg.
1.5.17) Or, as the Christians say, "What profiteth a man if he gain the whole world yet suffers the loss of his eternal soul?"

Material activities and their results end with the body. But work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness carries the person again to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even after the loss of the body. At least one is sure to have a chance in the next life of being born again as a human being, either in the family of a great cultured
brāhmaṇa
or in a rich aristocratic family that will give one a further chance for elevation. That is the unique quality of work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Bg 2.41

TEXT 41

TEXT

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir

ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca

buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām

SYNONYMS

vyavasāyātmikā-
resolute Kṛṣṇa consciousness;
buddhiḥ-
intelligence;
ekā-
only one;
iha-
in this world;
kuru-nandana
-O beloved child of the Kurus;
bahu-śākhāḥ-
various branches;
hi-
indeed;
anantāḥ-
unlimited;
ca-
also;
buddhayaḥ-
intelligence;
avyavasāyinām-
of those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

TRANSLATION

Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

PURPORT

A strong faith in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that one should be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called
vyavasāyātmikā
intelligence. The
Caitanya-caritāmṛta
states:

'śraddhā'-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity, or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one's reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The resolute purpose of a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is based on knowledge
("Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ")
by which one comes to know perfectly that Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is the root of all manifested causes. As water on the root of a tree is automatically distributed to the leaves and branches, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can render the highest service to everyone-namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied by one's actions, then everyone will be satisfied.

Service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As such, to be well-versed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one's mission in life. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākur instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows:

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādānna gatiḥ kuto 'pi
dhyāyaṁ stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam.

"By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master."

The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body-not theoretically but practically, when there is no longer chance for sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities. One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive acts.

Bg 2.42, Bg 2.43, Bg 2.42-43

TEXTS 42-43

TEXT

yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ

pravadanty avipaścitaḥ

veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha

nānyad astīti vādinaḥ

janma-karma-phala-pradām

kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ

bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati

SYNONYMS

yām imām-
all these;
puṣpitām-
flowery;
vācam-
words;
pravadanti-
say;
avipaścitaḥ-
men with a poor fund of knowledge;
veda-vāda-ratāḥ-
supposed followers of the
Vedas; pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
na-
never;
anyat-
anything else;
asti-
there is;
iti-
this;
vādinaḥ-
advocates;
kāma-ātmānaḥ-
desirous of sense gratification;
svarga-parāḥ-
aiming to achieve heavenly planets;
janma-karma-phala-pradām-
resulting in fruitive action, good birth, etc.;
kriyā-viśeṣa-
pompous ceremonies;
bahulām-
various;
bhoga-
sense enjoyment;
aiśvarya-
opulence;
gatim-
progress;
prati-
towards.

TRANSLATION

Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

PURPORT

People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the
karma-kāṇḍa
portions of the
Vedas.
They do not want anything more than sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence is very common. In the
Vedas
many sacrifices are recommended for elevation to the heavenly planets, especially the
jyotiṣṭoma
sacrifices. In fact, it is stated that anyone desiring elevation to heavenly planets must perform these sacrifices, and men with a poor fund of knowledge think that this is the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom. It is very difficult for such inexperienced persons to be situated in the determined action of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As fools are attached to the flowers of poisonous trees without knowing the results of such attractions, similarly unenlightened men are attracted by such heavenly opulence and the sense enjoyment thereof.

In the
karma-kāṇḍa
section of the
Vedas
it is said that those who perform the four monthly penances become eligible to drink the
somarasa
beverages to become immortal and happy forever. Even on this earth some are very eager to have
somarasa
to become strong and fit to enjoy sense gratifications. Such persons have no faith in liberation from material bondage, and they are very much attached to the pompous ceremonies of Vedic sacrifices. They are generally sensual, and they do not want anything other than the heavenly pleasures of life. It is understood that there are gardens called
nandana-kānana
in which there is good opportunity for association with angelic, beautiful women and having a profuse supply of
somarasa
wine. Such bodily happiness is certainly sensual; therefore there are those who are purely attached to material, temporary happiness, as lords of the material world.

Bg 2.44

TEXT 44

TEXT