Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (23 page)

Bg 2.56

TEXT 56

TEXT

duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ

sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ

sthita-dhīr munir ucyate

SYNONYMS

duḥkheṣu
-in the threefold miseries;
anudvigna-manāḥ-
without being agitated in mind;
sukheṣu-
in happiness;
vigata-spṛhaḥ-
without being too interested;
vīta-
free from;
rāga-
attachment;
bhaya-
fear;
krodhaḥ-
anger;
sthita-dhīḥ-
one who is steady;
muniḥ-
sage;
ucyate-
is called.

TRANSLATION

One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.

PURPORT

The word
muni
means one who can agitate his mind in various ways for mental speculation without coming to a factual conclusion. It is said that every
muni
has a different angle of vision, and unless a
muni
differs from other
munis,
he cannot be called a
muni
in the strict sense of the term.
Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na binnam.
But a
sthita-dhī-muni
as mentioned herein by the Lord, is different from an ordinary
muni
The
sthita-dhī-muni
is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for he has exhausted all his business of creative speculation. He has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or Vāsudeva, is everything. He is called a
muni
fixed in mind. Such a fully Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaughts of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest. Similarly, when he is happy he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness; he realizes that it is due only to the Lord's grace that he is in such a comfortable condition and able to render better service to the Lord. And, for the service of the Lord, he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or aversion. Attachment means accepting things for one's own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. But one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has neither attachment nor detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Lord. Consequently he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always steady in his determination.

Bg 2.57

TEXT 57

TEXT

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas

tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham

nābhinandati na dveṣṭi

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

SYNONYMS

yaḥ-
one who;
sarvatra-
everywhere;
anabhisnehaḥ-
without affection;
tat-
that;
tat-
that;
prāpya-
achieving;
śubha-
good;
aśubham-
evil;
na-
never;
abhinandati-
prays;
na-
never;
dveṣṭi-
envies;
tasya-
his;
prajñā-
perfect knowledge;
pratiṣṭhita-
fixed.

TRANSLATION

He who is without attachment, who does not rejoice when he obtains good, nor lament when he obtains evil, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.

PURPORT

There is always some upheaval in the material world which may be good or evil. One who is not agitated by such material upheavals, who is unaffected by good and evil, is to be understood to be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As long as one is in the material world there is always the possibility of good and evil because this world is full of duality. But one who is fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not affected by good and evil because he is simply concerned with Kṛṣṇa, who is all good absolute. Such consciousness in Kṛṣṇa situates one in a perfect transcendental position called, technically,
samādhi.

Bg 2.58

TEXT 58

TEXT

yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ

kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ

indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

SYNONYMS

yadā-
when;
saṁharate-
winds up;
ca-
also;
ayam-
all these;
kūrmaḥ-
tortoise;
aṅgāni-
limbs;
iva-
like;
sarvaśaḥ-
altogether;
indriyāni-
senses;
indriya-arthebhyaḥ-
from the sense objects;
tasya-
his;
prajñā-
consciousness;
pratiṣṭhitā-
fixed up.

TRANSLATION

One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell, is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge.

PURPORT

The test of a
yogī
, devotee, or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his plan. Most people, however, are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. That is the answer to the question as to how the
yogī
is situated. The senses are compared to venomous serpents. They want to act very loosely and without restriction. The
yogī
, or the devotee, must be very strong to control the serpents-like a snake charmer. He never allows them to act independantly. There are many injunctions in the revealed scriptures; some of them are do-not's, and some of them are do's. Unless one is able to follow the do's and the do-not's, restricting oneself from sense enjoyment, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The best example, set herein, is the tortoise. The tortoise can at any moment wind up his senses and exhibit them again at any time for particular purposes. Similarly, the senses of the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are used only for some particular purpose in the service of the Lord and are withdrawn otherwise. Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within.

Bg 2.59

TEXT 59

TEXT

viṣayā vinivartante

nirāhārasya dehinaḥ

rasa-varjaṁ raso 'py asya

paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

SYNONYMS

viṣayāḥ-
objects for sense enjoyment;
vinivartante-
are practiced to be refrained from;
nirāhārasya-
by negative restrictions;
dehinaḥ-
for the embodied;
rasa-varjam-
giving up the taste;
rasaḥ-
sense of enjoyment;
api-
although there is;
asya-
his;
param-
far superior things;
dṛṣṭvā-
by experiencing;
nivartate-
ceases from.

TRANSLATION

The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

PURPORT

Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions, nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like
aṣṭāṅga-yoga
, in the matter of
yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma,
pratyāhāra, dharaṇā, dhyāna,
etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the course of his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good if one actually has a taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.

Bg 2.60

TEXT 60

TEXT

yatato hy api kaunteya

puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ

indriyāṇi pramāthīni

haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ

SYNONYMS

yatataḥ-
while endeavoring;
hi-
certainly;
api-
in spite of;
kaunteya-
O son of Kuntī;
puruṣasya-
of the man;
vipaścitaḥ-
full of discriminating knowledge;
indriyāṇi-
the senses;
pramāthīni-
stimulated;
haranti-
throws forcefully;
prasabhaṁ-
by force;
manaḥ-
the mind.

TRANSLATION

The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.

PURPORT

There are many learned sages, philosophers and transcendentalists who try to conquer the senses, but in spite of their endeavors, even the greatest of them sometimes fall victim to material sense enjoyment due to the agitated mind. Even Viśvāmitra, a great sage and perfect
yogī
, was misled by Menakā into sex enjoyment, although the
yogī
was endeavoring for sense control with severe types of penance and
yoga
practice. And,of course, there are so many similar instances in the history of the world. Therefore, it is very difficult to control the mind and the senses without being fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Without engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa, one cannot cease such material engagements. A practical example is given by Śrī Yāmunācārya, a great saint and devotee, who says: "Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought."

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a transcendentally nice thing that automatically material enjoyment becomes distasteful. It is as if a hungry man had satisfied his hunger by a sufficient quantity of nutritious eatables. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa also conquered a great
yogī,
Durvāsā Muni, simply because his mind was engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Bg 2.61

TEXT 61

TEXT

tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya

yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ

vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

SYNONYMS

tāni-
those senses;
sarvāṇi-
all;
saṁyamya-
keeping under control;
yuktaḥ-
being engaged;
āsīta-
being so situated;
mat-paraḥ
-in relationship with Me;
vaśe-
in full subjugation;
hi-
certainly;
yasya-
one whose;
indriyāṇi-
senses;
tasya-
his;
prajñā-
consciousness;
pratiṣṭhitā-
fixed.

TRANSLATION

One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence.

PURPORT

That the highest conception of
yoga
perfection is Kṛṣṇa consciousness is clearly explained in this verse. And, unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is not at all possible to control the senses. As cited above, the great sage Durvāsā Muni picked a quarrel with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and Durvāsā Muni unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his senses. On the other hand, the King, although not as powerful a
yogī
as the sage, but a devotee of the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage's injustices and thereby emerged victorious. The King was able to control his senses because of the following qualifications, as mentioned in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānavarṇane
karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau
tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe'ṅga-saṅgamam
ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe
śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite

pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe
śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane
kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā
yathottamaśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ

"King Ambarīṣa fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, engaged his words in describing the abode of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing the pastimes of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the form of the Lord, his body in touching the body of the devotee, his nostrils in smelling the flavor of the flowers offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, his tongue in tasting the
tulasī
leaves offered to Him, his legs in traveling to the holy place where His temple is situated, his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in fulfilling the desires of the Lord ... and all these qualifications made him fit to become a
mat-paraḥ
devotee of the Lord."
(Bhāg.
9.4.18-20)

The word
mat-paraḥ
is most significant in this connection. How one can become a
mat-paraḥ
is described in the life of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, a great scholar and
ācārya
in the line of the
mat-paraḥ,
remarks:
"mad-bhakti-prabhāvena sarvendriya-vijaya-pūrvikā svātma dṛṣṭiḥ sulabheti bhāvaḥ."
"The senses can be completely controlled only by the strength of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa." Also the example of fire is sometimes given: "As the small flames within burn everything within the room, similarly Lord Viṣṇu, situated in the heart of the
yogī,
burns up all kinds of impurities." The
Yoga-sūtra
also prescribes meditation on Viṣṇu, and not meditation on the void. The so-called
yogīs
who meditate on something which is not the Viṣṇu form simply waste their time in a vain search after some phantasmagoria. We have to be Kṛṣṇa conscious-devoted to the Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real
yoga.