Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

Bhagavad-gītā 4.3

Prabhupada:

bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam [Bg 4.3]

[That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.]

So this verse we discussed last night, that this bhagavad-bhakti-yoga is not a new thing. It is purātanaḥ. Kṛṣṅa says, yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ [Bg 4.3]. So just like I was discussing now with Dr. Kapoor, our philosophy is not new: purātanaḥ—the old thing. At the present moment it is a fashion to propound a new kind of philosophy. Not only now; formerly also, as it is said in the Bhāgavatam, nāsāv munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

A muni is not a muni… Muni means mental speculators; manansi, thoughtful muni, thoughtful also—always absorbed in thoughts. So a thoughtful man or a great saintly person is not a great saintly person if he hasn’t got to propound a new theory—nāsāv munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam [Cc Madhya 17.186]. That is the modern philosophical way, researchment. This philosopher’s contribution is up to this; and this philosopher… We have also such things. Just like our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṅava and Rāmānujācārya Vaiṣṅava. Rāmānujācārya Vaiṣṅava, they appreciate the service of the Lord up to sakhya-rasa—viśrambha-sakhya—with awe and veneration. Śānta, dāsya, sakhya, up to this information, Rāmānujācārya. But Mādhavācārya sampradāya, they have got up to mādhurya-rasa. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu propounded this mādhurya-rasa. Therefore He is worshiped by Rūpa Gosvāmī:

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṅayāvatīrṅaḥ kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam [Cc Ādi 1.4]

Unnatojjvala. Everyone has got some relationship with Kṛṣṅa, but the highest, topmost relationship is mādhurya-rasa—unnato-ujjvala. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave this mādhurya-rasa, gopīs, gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s contribution to the Vaiṣṅava philosophers or Vaiṣṅavas: mādhurya-rasa. Other ācāryas… We have got four ācāryas in Vaiṣṅava sampradāya. Vātsalya-rasa, I think, is Vallabhācārya; they are vātsalya-rasa, Bāla Kṛṣṅa. And Rāmānujācārya, they are up to sakhya-rasa, viśrambha-sakhya. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives information, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṅa yā kalpitā. The method of worship as it was done by the gopīs, vraja-vadhū, that is the best. Ramyā kācid upāsanā. There is no better process of worship than the method adopted by the gopīs: always thinking of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is gone to the pasturing grounds, and the gopīs are thinking at home, “Oh, Kṛṣṅa’s lotus feet is so soft that we feel ashamed to keep His lotus feet on our breasts. We think our breast is too hard for keeping His lotus feet. Such nice lotus feet is now wandering on ground with stone chips. How much pain He is feeling!” Thinking this, the gopīs were crying. How much their mind was absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore the Gosvāmīs, they also followed: gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī [Śrī Sad-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka, verse 4]. Here also in Vṛndāvana, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṅavas especially, they worship Kṛṣṅa in the mādhurya-rasa. Their aspiration is how to become an assistant associate of the gopīs, mādhurya-rasa.

So every devotee is associated with some rasa with Kṛṣṅa: raso vai saḥ [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1]. The Vedic information is, “He is the reservoir of all pleasure,”raso vai saḥ. Hṛdayāni bhavanti: “If one gets that rasa, or mellows, then he becomes spiritually blissful.” These are Vedic injunctions. So the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṅava contribution is this mādhurya-rasa. But it is not to be artificially imitated. When one becomes actually liberated, mukta-puruṣa, then he can relish, mālī hañā kare sei bīja āropaṅa [Cc Madhya 19.152].

[When a person receives the seed of devotional service, he should take care of it by becoming a gardener and sowing the seed in his heart. If he waters the seed gradually by the process of śravaṅa and kīrtana [hearing and chanting], the seed will begin to sprout.]

It has been described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that at the present moment we have to become the gardener and water the bhakti-latā creeper. Then it grows. It grows, penetrating through the cover of the universe, reaches the spiritual world, and then it grows still more, and when the creeper catches some shelter, some other big tree… Similarly, this bhakti-latā creeper goes up and up, and when it catches the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, then it is satisfied, and the bhakta who nourished this bhakti-latā-bīja, when he goes back to home, back to Godhead, he relishes the fruit grown in that bhakti-latā-bīja. So this is the description in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta in connection with Rūpa Gosvāmī.

So that bhakti-latā-bīja begins practically by understanding Bhagavad-gītā as it is. There are some so-called devotees, they jump over Bhāgavatam, especially daśama skaṅḍa, rāsa-pañcādhyāya. But that is not the process. The process is to begin bhakti-latā, bhakti-latā-bīja. Guru-kṛṣṅa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc Madhya 19.151].

[According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṅa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṅa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.]

So we have to take care of the seed. That seed is the last word of Bhagavad-gītā:

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

When one accepts Kṛṣṅa in the last resort, or shelter, with faith, Kṛṣṅa says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]

When one accepts this philosophy, that “I have nothing to do except surrendering unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa,” this is the beginning of that seed.

It has been explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that,

’śraddhā-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya kṛṣṅe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya [Cc Madhya 22.62]

Śraddhā. Because if you want to advance in spiritual life, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the first stage is śraddhā. First stage is śraddhā. And what is the meaning of śraddhā? Śraddhā means “full faith.”’Śraddhā-śabde—viśvāsa, full faith. What is that faith? ’Śraddhā-śabde—viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya: firm faith, not faulted. Firm faith, that “If I surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, then everything is done. Everything is done. I have nothing to do any more.”Kṛṣṅe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. This is called śraddhā, beginning. Śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15].

[In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.]

This is the process given by the Gosvāmīs. First śraddhā—firm faith, unflinching faith, that “If I surrender unto Kṛṣṅa, if I take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa, then my life is successful; everything is done.”’Śraddhā-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya: without any hesitation. Why shall I take shelter of Kṛṣṅa? One big scholar says it is sophistry, that it is too much demanding. Kṛṣṅa is demanding too much. Sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg 18.66]: “Give up everything and surrender unto Me.” That is the only thing. Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Lord. He can demand like that.

So our paramparā system, as it is explained,

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg 4.2]

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

Our paramparā is: Kṛṣṅa says, “Surrender unto Me,” and we catch up the word, we preach, “Surrender unto Kṛṣṅa.” This is paramparā system. Not that I have to say that “Surrender unto me.” That is rascaldom. Real kṛṣṅa-sevā is… Because Kṛṣṅa wants everyone to surrender unto Him, so if we preach to everyone that “Surrender to Kṛṣṅa,” then it is paramparā. Then it is paramparā. Paramparā means what is spoken by Kṛṣṅa, you preach that gospel. You preach that philosophy.

So our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very simple. We haven’t got to manufacture anything, any philosophy, by research work. Kṛṣṅa says, yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ [Bg 4.3].

We have to speak the same thing. The most…, very, very old: purātanaḥ. We haven’t got to manufacture it. Nowadays we have advanced in education and civilization; therefore we have to concoct some idea. It is not our business. We have to speak the same old purātanaḥ thing. What is that purātanaḥ thing? Five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṅa says, “Surrender unto Me.” So we have to preach this old gospel, “Surrender unto Kṛṣṅa. Finish your business.” Kṛṣṅa says, “I am speaking that old thing which millions of years ago I spoke to sun-god.” Similarly, we have to refer to Kṛṣṅa: “Five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṅa said this; let us repeat that.”Yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ. And who can speak this? Bhakto 'si—one who is actually devotee. Others, rascals, they interpret Bhagavad-gītā in different ways. They are not speaking the purātanaḥ; therefore they are null and void, they are rejected. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ [Bg 4.2]. One who does not speak the whole thing by the paramparā system is speaking nonsense. Take evidence from Bhagavad-gītā—sa kāleneha naṣṭaḥ [Bg 4.2]. Kṛṣṅa said that “The old paramparā system, as I spoke to sun-god,”

sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa [Bg 4.2]

As soon as we deviate from the paramparā system…Paramparā system means to receive the knowledge through disciplic succession—very simple thing. But in due course of time it becomes deviated. Just like nowadays they are interpreting Bhagavad-gītā in different ways. That means kālena naṣṭā.

This is not Bhagavad-gītā. Anyone who is speaking against Kṛṣṅa, they are discovering some new meaning, ādhyātmika meaning. They say ādhyātmika meaning. Do they not say like that, ādhyātmika meaning? What is this nonsense, ādhyātmika meaning? That means kālena naṣṭaḥ. Anyone who discovers some ādhyātmika meaning of Bhagavad-gītā, according to his fertile brain, that sort of preaching of Bhagavad-gītā is naṣṭaḥ. It is not real Bhagavad-gītā. Real Bhagavad-gītā is if you speak the very old thing:

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

What Kṛṣṅa said five thousand years ago in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, if you speak that old thing, that “Kṛṣṅa desires that everyone surrender unto Him, so let me preach this cult: ’My dear friend, please surrender to Kṛṣṅa,’ ” then you are a good preacher. Three words—“My dear friend, please surrender to Kṛṣṅa.” That’s all. To become a preacher in Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is not at all difficult. We have to speak the same thing. This is confirmed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu:

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṅa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṅa’-upadeśa—this is guru. Guru does not mean anything extraordinary. Any damn rascal like me can become guru. You cannot question, “You are a damn rascal. How you have become guru?” Yes… [end]