Bhagavad-gītā 7.1 [Hindi]

Harikeśa: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees chant responsively] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
[Bg 7.1]

[01:39]

Prabhupāda:

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
[Bg 7.1]

The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa is talking about Himself. Śrī-bhagavān. Our sense organs eyes, ears, nose, hands, legs etc, ten senses and mind, if we want to understand God through these senses, that is not possible. Because our eyes are material and God is spiritual. Just like there are so many devotees who come to see the Lord here, some say that, look! They have made a statue out of stone and these foolish people come to see that. Because he does not have the eyes, he sees God as stone. And those who have the eyes, they spend thousands of rupees to come and see the Lord in Vṛndāvana. This is the only difference. The Lord has come to give us darśana. Because we do not know about the Lord, therefore the Supreme Lord appeared here in His incarnation as Kṛṣṇa and He left behind His instructions in the form of Bhagavad-gītā and He is sitting here as the Deity form so that everyone can see Him. So to understand God is not difficult. Just like, you are hearing someone’s instructions and also seeing him in the form of a deity, so then it is not difficult to understand about him. So that is why the Lord Himself, in the seventh chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, is explaining about Himself. Śrī-bhagavān uvāca. It is not that Vyāsadeva is saying. Vyāsadeva is writing, Śrī-bhagavān uvāca, the Supreme Lord is speaking about Himself. If you want to know about me, however much you may speculate about it, your knowledge will not be complete. Until I reveal you myself that, I am like this, I have so many temples, I have so much property, I have so many books, then you will be able to understand. That is why the Supreme Lord says, Śrī-bhagavān uvāca. What is He saying? mayy āsakta-manāḥ. For one who has attachment for the Lord, for one who has love for the Lord. Āsakti, just like you have attachment for your child, attachment for your husband, attachment for your wife. Similarly if you can develop attachment for the Supreme Lord then you can understand Him. Not by any other method.

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
[Brahma-saṁhitā 5.38]

If one has love for the Lord, then the Lord personally gives him darśana. And if we speculate according to our own whims like the Lord is like this, the Lord has a form like this, or He is formless, or this and that. No one can understand the Lord in that way. It is not possible. So this attachment, if one wants to increase the attachment, then the only means is the process of devotional service. That is why the Lord says,

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
[Bg 7.1]

To increase the attachment to the Lord, we have to take shelter of the Supreme Lord. mad-āśrayaḥ, take the shelter of the Lord. But if you say that the Lord is not present before me! How do I take shelter of Him? So mad-āśrayaḥ means that either you take the shelter of the Lord or you take the shelter of that person who has taken the shelter of the Lord. Mad-āśrayaḥ, those who do not anything else but the Lord, mad-āśrayaḥ, they have taken complete shelter of the Lord, that’s all. We have to take shelter of such a person.

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
[Bg 4.34]

Those who take shelter of the Lord, they are seers of the truth. How has he seen the truth? Who takes shelter of the Lord? The devotees of the Lord. Who else will take? And the Lord says,

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
[Bg 18.55]

Only the devotees can understand the Lord. The mental speculators cannot, the mystic yogis cannot, the materialistic persons cannot. The Lord says, no. Those who engage in fruitive activities, “karmaṇā mām abhijānāti.” No. “Jñānena mām abhijānāti.” No. “yogena mām abhijānāti” No. He can know partially only. The Lord is sac-cid-ānanda vigraha [eternal, full of knowledge and bliss]. Fruitive activities cannot give any clue about the Supreme Lord. The jñānīs or dry mental speculators realize something, that is sad-aṁśa: the sat: eternity aspect of the absolute truth. The Lord is oṁ tat sat, [Bg 17.23] that they realize. Sad vastu, eternal, the mental speculators know this much, not more. And the yogīs realize the Paramātmā feature of the Lord. The Lord is realized in three features,

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]

So, Brahman realization, Paramātmā realization and Bhagavad realization. So Bhagavad realization is ultimate. First is Brahman realization, impersonal Brahman. Then as we go further, the yogīs realize this, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino [SB 12.13.1]

They meditate and realize Paramatma in their hearts. They are called yogis. So the first realization is Brahman realization, then if we go ahead a little then it is Paramatma realization and if we still go further ahead it is Bhagavat realization. If one realizes the Bhagavan feature of the Lord, then that includes the Brahman realization and Paramatma realization also. He is in complete knowledge. Just like it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
[Bg 7.19]

Those who are impersonalists and who do not accept the form of the Supreme Lord, they are called jñānī. Jñānī means who has acquired complete knowledge of the Absolute Truth. ‘Ahaṁ brahmāsmi’ “I am not this material body. I am Brahman.” One who has this complete knowledge he is called a brahma-jñānī an impersonalist. And brahma-bhūtaḥ, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, [Bg 18.54] one whose soul becomes blissful. So in the Brahman realization, the Lord can be realized partially not completely. Complete knowledge will be achived only when, just like the Lord says, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ. Samagraṁ means complete, not partial. Partial knowledge is Brahman realization, if you advance further then Paramātmā realization and complete knowledge,

kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
[SB 1.3.28]

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
[Bg 7.19]

For one who realizes Vāsudeva, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva. Why knowledge of Vāsudeva? Because He is the son of Vasudeva. In your Vṛndāvana, He is Vāsudeva, in Vṛndāvana, He is svayam bhagavān: [the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.] And in Mathurā, He is Vāsudeva. Lord Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana and and goes anywhere else. All His other pastimes are as Vāsudeva, Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti. Through His Vāsudeva form, He performs all His pastimes. In Mathurā the killing of Kaṁsa was in His Vāsudeva form. And in Vṛndāvana in His pastimes with the cowherd boys and the gopīs, He is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. This is the conclusion. So the Lord has unlimited pastimes, unlimited forms,

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca
[Bs 5.33]

So this youthful Lord, you can see the Deity of the Lord, all the time He is youthful. He looks like a fifteen- twenty years old boy. He is fifteen- twenty years old. When the Lord became Arjuna’s charioteer, He was a grandfather, great grandfather but even at that time He looked freshly youthful. That is the form of the Lord, nava-yauvanaṁ ca, ever youthful, very beautiful to behold.

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca
vedeṣu durlabham.*
[Bs 5.33]

Just by having knowledge of the Vedas, it is very difficult to understand the Supreme Lord. Even the great Vedāntists fail in their attempt to understand the Lord. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. [Bg 15.15] Although, the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Bhagavan, it is so difficult that even great scholars cannot understand Him. Vedeṣu durlabham. Then how to understand the Lord? Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau. For the devotee of the Lord, adurlabham, it is very easy, easily he can understand. The Lord explains to them and they accept His word. The Lord says,

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
[Bg 7.7]

Who will understand this? The Supreme Lord says, there is nobody superior to Me. Who will understand this? Other than a devotee! The non devotees will argue that, “look, He is talking nonsense that there is no one superior to Me.” And if one is a devotee he will understand that, “yes!”

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
[Bs 5.1]

A person who is a devotee of the Lord, he will understand that this Krsna, He is parameśvara: the Supreme controller, Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda, His body is sac-cid-ānanda. Sat, cit, ānanda body. By impersonal Brahman realization, one can get realization of His sat [eternal feature.] And the Paramātmā realization is realization of His cit [awareness feature.] And realization of Bhagavad, is realization of *sat, cit, ānanda * features. Ānanda, ānandamayo ’bhyāsāt [He is by nature full of bliss.] [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]

So the final stage of realization of the all-blissful nature of the Lord is ānandamaya, blissful. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis.

To understand the ānanda-cinmaya-vigrah form of the Lord, the only process is,

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
[Bg 18.55]

This can be achieved only through devotional service, there is no other way. And how should one develop devotional service? That is also explained by the Lord, mayy āsakti, we must increase our attachment for the Lord. Just like you come to the temple, so if you come daily, then your attachment will automatically increase. Here when the ārati is being performed and you come to see the Lord, it is scriptural injunction, someone plays the karatālas, someone sees the Lord, someone plays gong, someone drinks the caraṇamṛta, in some way or the other you go there and your attachment will keep increasing. That is why the temples are open, to increase the attachment of the ordinary living entity towards the Lord. Then we can get the vision of the Lord. That is why the Lord says mayy āsakta, one who increases his attachment for the Lord and His topics, his knowledge of the Lord is complete. Asaṁśayaṁ, there is no doubt about this. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ, and who is telling this? The Lord Himself, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ.

Everybody is doubtful. Actually in other religions there is no clear understanding about the Lord. And in our Vedic dharma also, which is, especially the brahma-jñānī, they do not have correct, clear knowledge. And the devotees , not only do they have knowledge about the Lord but they will tell you that, this is His name, His father’s name is this, His address is this, they will tell everything. And for a non devotee the knowledge about the Lord is not clear because there is no attachment for the Lord. So we need to first increase our attachment for the Lord. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ, only one who has attachment for the Lord can understand the Lord. Asaṁśayaṁ and *samagraṁ. asaṁśayaṁ *means there is no doubt.

Just like you are all devotees of Kṛṣṇa assembled here, none of you have any doubt that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, asaṁśayaṁ. And samagraṁ knowledge, one who has knowledge about Bhagavān, then his Brahman realization and Paramatma realization is also included. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. To increase the attachment for the Lord, Rūpa Gosvāmī a devotee of the Lord who discovered Vṛndāvana, this Vṛndāvana was just a piece of land. The Gosvāmīs- Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, Dāsa Raghunātha, these six Gosvāmīs came here and unfolded Vṛndāvana. That is why the Madana Mohana Mandir was built first. So, this Rūpa Gosvāmī who has the Govindajī’s mandir, he has explained how the attachment will be increased. In his Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, he has given the way. What is the way? Ādau śraddhā. Just like, you have got faith that is why you have come and those who do not have faith they get up and go away. If you explain to them about God, they don’t like it. If you talk about anything else they will sit and listen. But they don’t like topics related to the Supreme Lord or talks on devotional service to the Supreme Lord. No attachment. So first of all faith, to listen to the topics of the Lord, that is faith.

Ādau śraddhā. tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo
[Cc Madhya 23.14 / Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15]

After developing faith, we must associate with sādhus or saintly persons. Who is a sādhu? If we say by wearing saffron clothes we have become sādhu, no. That is not a sādhu. Who is a sādhu then?

api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
[Bg 9.30]

He is a sādhu. This has been told by the Lord Himself this. Who is a sādhu? “A sādhu is one who worships Me without any deviation, he does not know anything other than Me, He is a sādhu.” No one else is a sādhu. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ, sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. [SB 3.25.21] Sādhu, the Lord Himself says, just like the Lord is Himself explaining about His own self. Similarly Lord has also explained as to who is a sādhu, who is a mahātma. Who is a sādhu? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, those who know nothing other than the Supreme Lord. Other than Lord Kṛṣṇa he knows nothing else, he is a sādhu. And who is a mahātma?

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
[Bg 9.13]

The same requirement. Ananya-bhāk and ananya-manaso are the same thing. Those who are constantly engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why the process of devotional service, you are seeing these Europeans and Americans have come here, they do not know anything else, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and are constantly chanting, you can see,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

These are the sādhus and mahātmas. That is why it is appropriate to associate with sādhus, to associate with these people. This is not a correct outlook that they are foreigners and should not go into the temples because they are Englishmen or American. No! We should not indulge in, *vaiṣṇave jāti buddhi * [to consider a vaiṣṇava as belonging to a particular caste.]

arcye śilā-dhīr
guruṣu nara-matir
vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ
[Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa 25.15-18]

A Vaiṣṇava does not belong to any particular caste. Just like Hanumān! Hanumānjī was not even a human being, an animal. A monkey is an animal. So why do we worship Hanumān? Does anyone worship monkeys? If by a caste mentality, we say that Hanumānjī belongs to the monkey caste so why should we worship him? No! We should not consider a Vaiṣṇava an ordinary person on the basis of birth, caste. Arcye śilā-dhīr, we have the Deity, arca-mūrti of the Lord and if someone thinks that it stone. And arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matiḥ, and the spiritual master, a bonafide spiritual master or ācārya, if someone considers him to be an ordinary person and similarly if they consider a Vaiṣṇava to belong to a certain caste, then according to the scriptures, they have nārakī-buddhi [hellish mentality.] That kind of mentality is not proper. Whoever engages in devotional service of the Supreme Lord is a sādhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kṛṣṇa-bhajanete nāhi jāti-kulādi-vicāra. [Cc Antya 4.67]

Those who have come to engage in devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, their caste, creed should not be taken into consideration. God is open to everyone.

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
[Bg 9.32]

Even though born as the lowest, lowest grade of family, in caṇḍāla [dog-eater family], there is no impediment in this. Just like in the river Yamunā everyone goes to take a bath, is there any impediment? Everybody can go. A sweeper can go and have a bath. What is the fault in that? He can also get purified. And a Brāhmaṇa, priest, sādhu, sannyāsī they can also go. There is no restriction on anyone. Similarly there is no restriction on anyone for executing devotional service to the Supreme Lord. It is open for everyone because in reality the living entity is spiritual, a part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If gold is lying in a dirty place, won’t anyone pick it up still? Definitely he will take. The gold is not impure. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita also says this in Nīti-vākya, amedhyād api kāñcanam. If in a very filthy place there is gold, one must take it, one must accept it. amedhyād api kāñcanam.

So to increase this attachment Rūpa Gosvāmī says, ādau śraddhā, first thing is faith, belief. There is God here. People go to the temple not come to see a stone, they know here is Bhagavān. This is called faith, God is here definitely. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo, they come here with faith and if they want to increase that faith then they must associate with devotees who are engaged in devotional service unto the Supreme Lord.

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca
bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam
[Upadeśāmṛta 4]

By mixing with the sādhus we associate with them. Then when we advance further through the association of the sādhus, then there is bhajana-kriyā, then we will also think let us serve the Supreme Lord as the sādhus are doing. I will also chant the names of Hari, bhajana-kriyā.

Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt
[Cc Madhya 23.14-15] / Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15-16]

When we chant the holy names of the Lord all the anarthas, anartha means things which has no value, unwanted things that we have learnt from bad association, all that will be destroyed. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Just like smoking bīḍīs, does anyone die if he does not smoke bīḍīs? This is unwanted activity that he learns from bad association. Similarly by good association all these things can be given up. Look at these Americans, their daily activities are illicit sex, meat eating, drinking wine and gambling but they have given it all up. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Gave up everything, this is the result of sādhu-saṅga.

Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā
tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā.
[Cc Madhya 23.14-15]

Then his faith becomes stronger, firm faith in devotional service. Tato niṣṭhā tato rucis, develops a taste, he develops a taste for hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord. Tathāsaktis, after developing this taste, then comes the stage of āsakti [attachment.] This attachment, the Lord….let us start from the beginning, first of all faith, then association of sādhus, then giving up of unwanted habits, then firm faith and taste—after surpassing these five stages then the stage of attachment comes. One cannot give up the Supreme Lord Lord at all, he becomes intoxicated with that. By giving up the intoxications like bidis, cigarettes, wine, opium, when one becomes addicted to this Kṛṣṇa-intoxication that I cannot leave the Lord ever, that is called attachment. So, mayy āsakta-manāḥ

So for a person who is so attached to the Lord, it is a liberated stage. To have such attachment to the Lord is not an ordinary stage, not on a material stage. Because,

anartha-nivṛttih,
Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir
anyatra syāt
[SB 11.2.42]

Devotion, if one is a devotee of the Lord, hewill have no interest in the unwanted activities at all, he will give up voluntarily. This is the symptom of devotion. And if you are a devotee and are smoking a bīḍīs as well, that will not do. That is also ok, as sometimes it may be the case, but one should gladly give them up. By practice it is possible. Suppose a person gave up everything, but due to his old habit he may become implicated. Even for him the Lord has said, api cet su-durācāro, doesn’t matter but is his devotional service all right or not? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, is his bhajana all right or not? If that is all right then, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, then he is a sādhu. If he does not give up the process of devotional service, and because of his old habit he sometimes smokes a bīḍī, he is pardoned. But those who willfully indulge in these intoxications, it is difficult for them to atone for it. No!

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
[Bg 7.1]

So this yoga, we have to practice. What is the practice for bhakti-yoga?

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]

You execute devotional service through these nine processes. If nothing else, then at least come here and listen, śravaṇaṁ. Just by hearing constantly you will achieve everything.

sṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
[SB 1.2.17]

The more you hear about the topics of the Lord, the more your sins will be destroyed and you will earn piety. And when all your sins are completely eradicated and you have only piety then you can understand God.

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ
[Bg 7.28]

Only those whose sins are completely eradicated can be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord with firm faith. This is said by the Lord. The Lord is supremely pure and by remaining impure no one can approach the Lord. One has to be pure.

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
[Bg 10.12]

Arjuna understood the Lord, what did he understand? Pavitraṁ paramaṁ. If we want God then we have to become pure also. It is not that we can remain impure and yet understand God. But by engaging in devotional service one becomes purified.* Sṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ*. That is why, it is appropriate that you come to the temple of the Lord, see the Lord, listen to Lord’s glories, śravaṇaṁ. And not only śravaṇaṁ, after hearing you must do kīrtanaṁ. Whatever you have heard about the Lord you explain it to others. That is called kīrtanaṁ. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Who should we talk about? Viṣṇu, not about anyone else.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
[SB 7.5.23]

These are the processes. So those who have come to Vṛndāvana it is appropriate for them to hear the topics of the Lord and slowly become pious only. Those who are not pious cannot understand the Lord. That is why we need to hear. Those who, due to not being pious, have no taste or faith in hearing the Lord’s glories… But slowly it will happen, nothing happens in one day, but these are the processes.

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
[Bg 7.1]

There is no use in taking shelter of an outsider, mad-āśrayaḥ. Either directly take the shelter of the Lord or take the shelter of a person who is completely surrendered at the lotus feet of the Lord. Then we can understand the Lord completely and without any doubt. This is what the the Supreme Lord is advising. We will discuss further.

Thank you very much! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Jaya! [end]