Bhagavad-gita As It Is - Macmillan 1972 Edition -- Prabhupada Books (57 page)

tejas tejasvinām aham

SYNONYMS

bījam-
seed;
mām-
unto Me;
sarva-bhūtānām-
of all living entities;
viddhi-
try to understand;
pārtha
-O son of Pṛthā;
sanātanam-
original, eternal;
buddhiḥ-
intelligence;
buddhimatām-
of the intelligent;
asmi-
I am;
tejaḥ-
prowess;
tejasvinām-
of the powerful;
aham-
I am.

TRANSLATION

O son of Pṛthā, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.

PURPORT

Bījam
means seed; Kṛṣṇa is the seed of everything. In contact with material nature, the seed fructifies into various living entities, movable and inert. Birds, beasts, men and many other living creatures are moving living entities; trees and plants, however, are inert-they cannot move, but only stand. Every entity is contained within the scope of 8,400,000 species of life; some of them are moving and some of them are inert. In all cases, however, the seed of their life is Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Vedic literature, Brahman, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is that from which everything is emanating. Kṛṣṇa is Parabrahman, the Supreme Spirit. Brahman is impersonal and Parabrahman is personal. Impersonal Brahman is situated in the personal aspect-that is stated in
Bhagavad-gītā.
Therefore, originally, Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything. He is the root. As the root of a tree maintains the whole tree, Kṛṣṇa, being the original root of all things, maintains everything in this material manifestation. This is also confirmed in the Vedic literature.
Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante.
"The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born." He is the prime eternal among all eternals. He is the supreme living entity of all living entities, and He alone is maintaining all life. Kṛṣṇa also says that He is the root of all intelligence. Unless a person is intelligent he cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Bg 7.11

TEXT 11

TEXT

balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ

kāma-rāga-vivarjitam

dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu

kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha

SYNONYMS

balam-
strength;
balavatām-
of the strong;
ca-
and;
aham-
I am;
kāma-
passion;
rāga
-attachment;
vivarjitam
-devoid of;
dharma-aviruddha-
not against the religious principles;
bhūteṣu-
in all beings;
kāmaḥ-
sex-life;
asmi-
I am;
bharatarṣabha
-O lord of the Bhāratas.

TRANSLATION

I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhāratas [Arjuna].

PURPORT

The strong man's strength should be applied to protect the weak, not for personal aggression. Similarly, sex life, according to religious principles
(dharma),
should be for the propagation of children, not otherwise. The responsibility of parents is then to make their offspring Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Bg 7.12

TEXT 12

TEXT

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā

rājasās tāmasāś ca ye

matta eveti tān viddhi

na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi

SYNONYMS

ye
-all those;
ca
-and;
eva
-certainly;
sāttvikāḥ-
in goodness;
bhāvāḥ-
states of being;
rājasāḥ-
mode of passion;
tāmasāḥ
-mode of ignorance;
ca
-also;
ye
-although;
mattaḥ
-from Me;
eva
-certainly;
iti-
thus;
tān
-those;
viddhi-
try to know;
na
-not;
tu
-but;
aham
-I;
teṣu
-in those;
te
-they;
mayi
-unto Me.

TRANSLATION

All states of being-be they of goodness, passion or ignorance-are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything-but I am independant. I am not under the modes of this material nature.

PURPORT

All material activities in the world are being conducted under the three modes of material nature. Although these material modes of nature are emanations from the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He is not subject to them. For instance, under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the modes of material nature-goodness, passion and ignorance-are emanations from the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is not subject to material nature. Therefore He is
nirguṇa,
which means that these
guṇas,
or modes, although issuing from Him, do not affect Him. That is one of the special characteristics of Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Bg 7.13

TEXT 13

TEXT

tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair

ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat

mohitaṁ nābhijānāti

mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

SYNONYMS

tribhiḥ-
three;
guṇamayaiḥ
-by the three
guṇas
;
bhāvaiḥ-
state of being;
ebhiḥ-
all this;
sarvam
-the whole world;
idam
-in this world;
jagat
-universe;
mohitam-
deluded;
na abhijānāti-
do not know;
mām
-unto Me;
ebhyaḥ-
above these;
param
-the Supreme;
avyayam
-inexhaustible.

TRANSLATION

Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me who am above the modes and inexhaustible.

PURPORT

The whole world is enchanted by three modes of material nature. Those who are bewildered by these three modes cannot understand that transcendental to this material nature is the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. In this material world everyone is under the influence of these three
guṇas
and is thus bewildered.

Bv nature living entities have particular types of body and particular types of psychic and biological activities accordingly. There are four classes of men functioning in the three material modes of nature. Those who are purely in the mode of goodness are called
brāhmaṇas.
Those who are purely in the mode of passion are called
kṣatriyas.
Those who are in the modes of both passion and ignorance are called
vaiśyas.
Those who are completely in ignorance are called
śūdras.
And those who are less than that are animals or animal life. However, these designations are not permanent. I may either be a
brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya
or whatever-in any case, this life is temporary. But although life is temporary and we do not know what we are going to be in the next life, still, by the spell of this illusory energy, we consider ourselves in the light of this bodily conception of life, and we thus think that we are American, Indian, Russian or
brāhmaṇa,
Hindu, Muslim, etc. And if we become entangled with the modes of material nature, then we forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is behind all these modes. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that men, deluded by these three modes of nature, do not understand that behind the material background is the Supreme Godhead.

There are many different kinds of living entities-human beings, demigods, animals, etc.-and each and every one of them is under the influence of material nature, and all of them have forgotten the transcendent Personality of Godhead. Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, and even those who are in the mode of goodness, cannot go beyond the impersonal Brahman conception of the Absolute Truth. They are bewildered before the Supreme Lord in His personal feature, which possesses all beauty, opulence, knowledge, strength, fame and renunciation. When even those who are in goodness cannot understand, what hope is there for those in passion and ignorance? Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental to all these three modes of material nature, and those who are truly established in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are actually liberated.

Bg 7.14

TEXT 14

TEXT

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

SYNONYMS

daivī-
transcendental;
hi-
certainly;
eṣā-
this;
guṇamayī-
consisting of the three modes of material nature;
mama-
My;
māyā-
energy;
duratyayā
-very difficult to overcome;
mām-
unto Me;
eva-
certainly;
ye-
those;
prapadyante-
surrender;
māyām etām-
this illusory energy;
taranti-
overcome;
te-
they.

TRANSLATION

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has innumerable energies, and all these energies are divine. Although the living entities are part of His energies and are therefore divine, due to contact with material energy, their original superior power is covered. Being thus covered by material energy, one cannot possibly overcome its influence. As previously stated, both the material and spiritual natures, being emanations from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are eternal. The living entities belong to the eternal superior nature of the Lord, but due to contamination by the inferior nature, matter, their illusion is also eternal. The conditioned soul is therefore called
nitya-baddha,
or eternally conditioned. No one can trace out the history of his becoming conditioned at a certain date in material history. Consequently, his release from the clutches of material nature is very difficult, even though that material nature is an inferior energy, because material energy is ultimately conducted by the supreme will, which the living entity cannot overcome. Inferior material nature is defined herein as divine nature due to its divine connection and movement by the divine will. Being conducted by divine will, material nature, although inferior, acts so wonderfully in the construction and destruction of the cosmic manifestation. The
Vedas
confirm this as follows:

māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyān māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram.

"Although
māyā
[illusion] is false or temporary, the background of
māyā
is the supreme magician, the Personality of Godhead, who is Maheśvara, the supreme controller."

Another meaning of
guṇa
is rope; it is to be understood that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself-he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Kṛṣṇa, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can help one gain such release. Kṛṣṇa, being the Lord of illusory energy, can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity who is originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature.

The words
mām eva
are also significant.
Mām
means unto Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu) only, and not Brahmā or Śiva. Although Brahmā and Śiva are greatly elevated and are almost on the level of Viṣṇu, it is not possible for such incarnations of
rājo-guṇa
(passion) and
tamo-guṇa
(ignorance) to release the conditioned soul from the clutches of
māyā.
In other words, both Brahmā and Śiva are also under the influence of
māyā.
Only Viṣṇu is the master of
māyā;
therefore He can alone give release to the conditioned soul. The
Vedas
confirm this in the phrase
tvam eva viditvā
or "Freedom is possible only by understanding Kṛṣṇa." Even Lord Śiva affirms that liberation can be achieved only by the mercy of Viṣṇu. Lord Śiva says:

mukti-pradātā sarveṣāṁ viṣṇur eva na saṁśayaḥ.

"There is no doubt that Viṣṇu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone.

Bg 7.15

TEXT 15

TEXT

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

SYNONYMS

na-
not;
mām-
unto Me;
duṣkṛtinaḥ-
miscreants;
mūḍhāḥ-
foolish;
prapadyante-
surrender;
narādhamāḥ-
lowest among mankind;
māyayā-
by the illusory energy;
apahṛta-
stolen by illusion;
jñānāḥ-
knowledge;
asuram-
demonic;
bhāvam-
nature;
āśritāḥ-
accepting.

TRANSLATION

Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.