seeing through the eyes of scriptures
Introduction to Bhagavad gita and the importance of Gita Mahatmya
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Srila Prabhupada recorded this introduction to Bhagavad Gita as it is , before ISKCON was established but is of great importance.Please listen carefully to the lotus words of SrilaPrabhupada:
Go to http://www.prabhupadavani.org/main/Bhagavad-gita/GT001.html and press listen and follow the transcript:
"Intro 1 to Bhagavad-gita"
66/02/19-20 New York,
Prabhupada:
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah [I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.] sri-caitanya-mano-'bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam [When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?] vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krsna-caitanya-devam sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca [I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnavas and unto the six Gosvamis, including Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami,Jiva Gosvami and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Advaita Acarya Prabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, Srimati Radharani and all the gopis, headed by Lalita and Visakha.] he krsna karuna-sindho
dina-bandho jagat-pate gopesa gopika-kanta radha-kanta namo 'stu te [O my dear Krsna, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherdmen and the lover of thegopis, especially Radharani. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.] tapta-kancana-gaurangi radhe vrndavanesvari vrsabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye [I offer my respects to Radharani, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vrndavana. You are the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, and You are very dear to Lord Krsna.] vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah [I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.] sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda [I offer my obeisances to Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others in the line of devotion.] hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.] Introduction to Gitopanisad by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, the author of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Easy Journey to Other Planets, editor of Back to Godhead, etc. Bhagavad-gita is known also Gitopanisad, the essence of Vedic knowledge, and one of the most important of the various Upanisads in Vedic literature. ThisBhagavad-gita, there are many commentations in English and what is the necessity of another English commentation of the Bhagavad-gita can be explained in the following way. One American lady, Mrs. Charlotte Le Blanc asked me to recommend an English edition of Bhagavad-gita which she can read. Of course, in America there are so many editions of English Bhagavad-gita, but so far I have seen them, not only in America but also India, none of them can be said strictly as authoritative because almost every one of them have expressed their own opinion through the commentation of the Bhagavad-gita without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gita as it is. The spirit of Bhagavad-gita is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita itself. It is just like this. If we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the particular direction mentioned on the label of the medicine. We cannot take the particular medicine according to our own direction or by the direction of a friend, but we have to take the medicine under the direction given on the label of the bottle and as directed by the physician. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gitaalso should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker Himself. The speaker of the Bhagavad-gita is Lord Sri Krsna. He is mentioned in every page of the Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan. Of course, "bhagavan" is sometimes designated to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, but here bhagavan is certainly designated to Sri Krsna, a great personality, but at the same time we must know that Lord Sri Krsna, as He is confirmed by all the acaryas... I mean to say, even Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka Svami and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and many others. In India there were many authoritative scholars and acaryas, I mean, authorities of the Vedic knowledge. All of them, including Sankaracarya, has accepted Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord Himself has also established Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in theBhagavad-gita. He is accepted so in the Brahma-samhita and all Puranas, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. So therefore we should take Bhagavad-gita as it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself. So in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit [Bg. 4.1] evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa [Bg. 4.2] sa evayam maya te 'dya yogah proktah puratanah bhakto 'si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam [Bg. 4.3] The idea is the Lord said to Arjuna that "This yoga, this system of yoga, Bhagavad-gita, was first spoken by Me to the sun-god and the sun-god explained to Manu. Manu explained to Iksvaku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one after another, this yoga system is coming, and in course of time this system is now lost. And therefore, I am speaking to you the very same yoga system again, the very same old yoga system of Bhagavad-gita, or Gitopanisad. Because you are My devotee and you are My friend, therefore it is possible for you only to understand." Now the purport is that Bhagavad-gita is a treatise which is specially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely the jnani, the yogi and the bhakta. Or the impersonalist or the meditator or the devotees. So here it is clearly mentioned, the Lord says to Arjuna that "I am speaking or I am making you the first man of the parampara. Because the old parampara or disciplic succession is now broken, therefore I wish to establish again another parampara in the same line of thought as it was coming down from the sun-god to others. So you, you take it and you distribute it. Or the system, the yoga system of Bhagavad-gita may now be distributed through you. You become the authority of understanding Bhagavad-gita." Now here is a direction that Bhagavad-gita is especially instructed to Arjuna, the devotee of the Lord, the direct student of Krsna. And not only that, he is intimately in touch with Krsna as friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gita is understood by a person who has similar qualities like Krsna. That means he must be a devotee, he must be in relation, direct relationship with the Lord. As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he has a direct relationship also with the Lord. That is a subject matter very long, but briefly it can be stated that a devotee is in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in five ways. One may be a devotee in a passive state, one may be a devotee in active state, one may be a devotee as a friend, one may be a devotee as parent, and one may be a devotee as conjugal lover. So Arjuna was a devotee in relationship with the Lord as a friend. The Lord can become a friend. Of course, this friendship and the conception of friendship which we have got in the mundane world, there is a gulf of difference. This is transcendental friendship which... Not that everyone will have the relationship with the Lord. Everyone has got a particular relationship with the Lord and that particular relationship is evoked by the perfection of devotional service. At the present status of our life we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord, but also we have forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of many, many millions and billions of living beings, each and every living being has got a particular relationship with the Lord eternally. That is called svarupa. Svarupa. And by the process of devotional service one can revive that svarupa of oneself. And that stage is called svarupa-siddhi, perfection of one's constitutional position. So Arjuna was a devotee and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship. Now, this Bhagavad-gita was explained to Arjuna and how Arjuna accepted it? That should also be noted. How Arjuna accepted the Bhagavad-gita is mentioned in the Tenth Chapter. Just like arjuna uvaca param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum ahus tvam rsayah sarve devarsir naradas tatha asito devalo vyasah svayam caiva bravisi me [Bg. 10.12-13] sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava na hi te bhagavan vyaktim vidur deva na danavah. [Bg. 10.14] Now, Arjuna says, after hearing Bhagavad-gita from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he accepts Krsna as param brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Brahman. Every living being is Brahman, but the supreme living being or the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Brahman or supreme living being. And param dhama. Param dhama means He is the supreme rest of everything. And pavitram. Pavitram means He is pure from material contamination. And He's addressed as purusam. Purusam means the supreme enjoyer; sasvatam, sasvata means from very beginning, He's the first person; divyam, transcendental; devam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ajam, never born; vibhum, the greatest. Now one may doubt that because Krsna was the friend of Arjuna, therefore he might say all these things to his own friend. But Arjuna, just to drive out this kind of doubts in the mind of the readers of Bhagavad-gita, he establishes his proposition by the authorities. He says that Lord Sri Krsna is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead not only by himself, Arjuna, but He is so accepted by authorities like Narada, Asita, Devala, Vyasa. These personalities are great personalities in distributing the Vedic knowledge. They (are) accepted by all acaryas. Therefore Arjuna says that "Whatever You have spoken so far to me, I accept them as completely perfect." Sarvam etad rtam manye [Bg. 10.14]. "I take it, I believe it that whatever You have spoken, they are all right. And Your Personality, Your Personality of Godhead, is very difficult to understand. And therefore You cannot be known by even the demigods. You cannot be known even by the demigods." That means the Supreme Personality Godhead cannot be known even by greater personalities than the human being, and how a human being can understand Sri Krsna without becoming His devotee? Therefore Bhagavad-gita should be taken up in a spirit of devotee of Lord Sri Krsna. One should not think that he is equal, on the same level of Sri Krsna, or one should not think that He is an ordinary personality, maybe a very great personality. No. Lord Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So at least theoretically, on the statement of Bhagavad-gita or on the statement, assertion of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gita, we should accept Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and then, with that submissive spirit... Unless one receives this Bhagavad-gita in a submissive spirit and aural reception, it is very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gita because it is a great mystery. So in this Bhagavad-gita... We may survey what is this Bhagavad-gita. This Bhagavad-gita is meant for delivering persons, persons from the nescience of this material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in the matter of fighting the battle of Kuruksetra. And as such he surrendered unto Sri Krsna, and therefore this Bhagavad-gita was spoken. Similarly, not only Arjuna but every one of us is always full of anxieties due to our, this material existence. Asad-grahat. It is... Our existence is in the environment or atmosphere of nonexistence. But actually, we are not nonexistent. Our existence is eternal, but some way or other we are put into this asat. Asat means which does not exist. Now out of so many human being who are actually inquiring about his position as to what he is, why he is put into this awkward position of suffering... Unless one is awakened to this position, that "Why I am suffering? I do not want all these sufferings. I have tried to make a solution of all these sufferings, but I have failed," unless one is in that position, he is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiries are awakened in one's mind. In the Brahma-sutra this inquiry is called brahma-jijnasa. Athato brahma jijnasa. And every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure without having this inquiry in his mind. So persons who have awakened this inquiry into his mind as to "What I am, why I am suffering, wherefrom I have come or where I shall go after death," when these inquiries come, are awakened in the mind of a sane human being, then he is practically the right student for understanding Bhagavad-gita. And he must be sraddhavan. Sraddhavan. He must have respect, a fond respect in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a person, as the ideal person was Arjuna. So Lord Krsna, He descends, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7], just to establish the real purpose of life. When man forgets the real purpose of life, the mission of human form of life, then it is called dharmasya glanih, the disturbance of the occupation of human being. So in that circumstances, out of many, many human being, who awakens, one who awakens the spirit of understanding his position, for him this Bhagavad-gita is spoken. We are just like swallowed by the tigress of nescience, and Lord, being causelessly merciful upon the living entities, especially for the human being, He spokeBhagavad-gita, making His friend Arjuna as the student. Arjuna was certainly, being an associate of Lord Krsna, he was above all ignorance. But still, Arjuna was put into ignorance in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra just to question about the problems of life to the Supreme Lord so that the Lord can explain them for the benefit of future generation of human being to chalk out the plan of his life and act in that way so that his life, his mission of human life, can be perfect. So in this Bhagavad-gita the subject matter is comprehending five different truths. The first truth is what is God. It is the preliminary study of the science of God. So that science of God is explained here. Next, the constitutional position of the living entities, jiva. Isvara and jiva. The Lord, the Supreme Lord, He is called isvara. Isvara means controller, and jiva, the living entities are... Jivas, the living entities, they are not isvara, or the controller. They are controlled. Artificially, if I say that "I am not controlled, I am free," this is not the sign of a sane man. A living being is controlled in every respect. At least, in his conditioned life he is controlled. So in this Bhagavad- gita the subject matter comprehends about the isvara, the supreme controller, and about the controlled living entities and prakrti, the nature, the material nature. And next, the time, or duration of existence of the whole universe, or this manifestation of the material nature, and the duration of time, or the eternal time, and karma. Karma means activity. Everything, the whole universe, whole cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. The living beings especially, they are all engaged in different activities. So we have to study from the Bhagavad-gita, isvara, what is God, jiva, what are these living entities, and prakrti, what is this cosmic manifestation, and how it is controlled by time, and what are these activities? Now out of these five subject matter, in the Bhagavad-gita it establish that the Supreme Godhead or Krsna or Brahman or Paramatma... You may call whatever you like. But the supreme controller. There is a supreme controller. So the supreme controller is the greatest of all. And the living beings, they are in quality like the supreme controller. Just like the supreme controller, the Lord, He has control over the universal affairs, over the material nature, how the... It will be explained in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gita that this material nature is not independent. She is acting under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. "This material nature is working under My direction," mayadhyaksena, "under My superintendence." So we, we are mistaken. When we see wonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind these wonderful manifestations, there is a controller. Nothing can be manifested without being controlled. It is childish to, not to consider about the controller. Just like a very nice motor car with very good speed and very good engineering arrangement is running on the street. A child may think that "How this motor car is running without the help of any horse or any pulling agent?" But a sane man or an elderly person, he knows that in spite of all engineering arrangements in the motor car, without the driver it cannot move. That engineering arrangement of a motor car, or in electric powerhouse... Now at the present moment it is the day of machinery, but we should always know that behind the machinery, behind the wonderful working of the machinery, there is a driver. So the Supreme Lord is the driver, adhyaksa. He is the Supreme Personality under whose direction everything is working. Now these jiva, or the living entities, they have been accepted by the Lord in this Bhagavad-gita, as we'll know it in later chapters, that they are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Amsa means parts and parcels. Now as a particle of gold is also particle, a drop of water of the ocean is also salty, similarly, we, the living entities, being part and parcels of the supreme controller, isvara, Bhagavan, or Lord Sri Krsna, we have got, I mean to say, qualitatively all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in minute. Because we are minute isvara, subordinate isvara. We are also trying to control. We are just trying to control over the nature. In the present days you are trying to control over the space. You are trying to float imitation planets. So this tendency of controlling or creating is there because partially we have got that controlling tendency. But we should know that this tendency is not sufficient. We have the tendency of controlling over the material nature, lording it over the material nature, but we are not the supreme controller. So that thing is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Then what is this material nature? The nature is also explained. The nature, material nature, is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as inferior, inferior prakrti. Inferior prakrti, and the living entities are explained as the superior prakrti. Prakrti means which is controlled, which is under... Prakrti, real meaning of prakrti is a woman or a female. Just like a husband controls the activities of his wife, similarly, the prakrti is also subordinate, predominated. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the predominator, and this prakrti, both the living entities and the material nature, they are different prakrtis, or predominated, controlled by the Supreme. So according to Bhagavad-gita, the living entities, although they are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, they are taken as prakrti. It is clearly mentioned in the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita yes, apareyam itas tu viddhi apara [Bg. 7.5]. This material nature is apara iyam. Itas tu, and beyond this there is another prakrti. And what is that prakrti? Jiva-bhuta, these... So this prakrti, the constitution of this prakrti is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion, and mode of ignorance. And above these modes, three different kinds of modes, goodness, passion, and, I mean to say, ignorance, there is eternal time. There is eternal time. And by combination of these modes of nature and under the control, under the purview of this eternal time, there are activities. There are activities, which is called karma. These activities are being done from time immemorial and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. Just like in the present life also, we enjoy the activities, the fruits of our activities. Suppose I am a businessman and I have worked very hard with intelligence and I have amassed a vast amount of bank balance. Now I am the enjoyer. Similarly, suppose I started my business with a vast amount of money, but I failed to make a successful..., I lost all the money. So I am sufferer. So similarly, in every field of our life we enjoy, we enjoy the result of our work. This is called karma. So these things, isvara, jiva, prakrti, or the Supreme Lord, or the living entity, the material nature, the eternal time, and our different activities, these things are explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Now out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, and the material nature and time, these four items are eternal. Now manifestation, manifestation of prakrti may be temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that this manifestation of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita or according to the philosophy of the Vaisnavas, they do not accept the manifestation of the world as false. They accept that the manifestation is real, but it is temporary. It is just like a cloud takes place in the sky and the rainy season begins, and after the rainy season there are so many new green vegetation all over the field, we can see. And as soon as the rainy season is finished, then the cloud is vanquished. Generally, gradually, all this vegetation dry up and again the land becomes barren. Similarly, this material manifestation takes place at a certain interval. We'll understand it, we'll know it, from the pages of the Bhagavad-gita. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. This manifestation becomes magnificent at a certain interval, and again it disappears. That is the work of the prakrti. But it is working eternally; therefore prakrti is eternal. It is not false. Because the Lord has accepted, mama prakrti, "My prakrti." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param [Bg. 7.5]. Bhinna prakrti, bhinna prakrti, apara prakrti, this material nature is a separated energy of the Supreme Lord, and the living entities, they are also energy of the Supreme Lord, but they are not separated. They are eternally related. So the Lord, the living entity, the nature, material nature, and time, they are all eternal. But the other item, karma, is not eternal. The effects of karma or activity may be very old. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from a time immemorial, but still, we can change the result of our karma, or activity. That will depend on our perfect knowledge. We are engaged in various activities undoubtedly, but we do not know what sort of activities we shall adopt that will give us relief from the actions and reactions of all activities. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Now, the position of isvara is supreme consciousness. Position of isvara, or the Supreme Lord, is supreme consciousness. And the jivas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, he is also conscious. A living entity is also conscious. The living entity is explained as prakrti, energy, and the material nature is also explained as prakrti, but amongst the two, one prakrti, the jivas, they are conscious. The other prakrti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jiva prakrti is called superior because the jivas has consciousness similar to the Lord. The Lord is supreme consciousness. One should not claim that a jiva, a living entity is also supremely conscious. No. A living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection. This is a misleading theory. This is misleading theory. But he is conscious. That's all. But he is not supreme conscious. The supreme conscious, it will be explained in the Bhagavad-gita in the chapter where the distinction between the jiva and isvara is explained. Ksetra-ksetra-jna. This ksetra-jna has been explained that the Lord is also ksetra-jna, or conscious, and the jivas, or the living beings, they are also conscious. But the difference is that a living being is conscious within his limited body, but the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. The Lord lives within the core of heart in every living being, therefore He is conscious of the psychic movements, activities, of the particular jiva. We should not forget. It is also explained that the Paramatma, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's heart as isvara, as the controller and He is giving direction. He is giving direction. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisthah [Bg. 15.15], everyone's heart He is situated, and He gives direction to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes his determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. But after giving up one type of body, when he enters another type of body... Just like we give up one kind of dress, one type of dress, for another type of dress, similarly, it is explained in this Bhagavad-gita that vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22]. One, as one changes his different dresses, similarly the living entities, they are also changing different bodies, transmigration of the soul, and pulling on the actions and reactions of his past activities. So these activities can be changed when a living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and he understands what sort of activities he should adopt, and if he does so, then the whole action and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Therefore karma is not eternal. Other things, out of the four, five items -- isvara, jiva, prakrti, kala, and karma -- these four items are eternal, whereas the karma, the item known as karma, that is not eternal. Now the conscious isvara, the supreme conscious isvara, and difference between the supreme conscious isvara, or the Lord, and the living being is, in the present circumstances, is like this. Consciousness, consciousness of, both of the Lord and the living entities, they are, this consciousness is transcendental. It is not that this consciousness is generated by the association of this matter. That is a mistaken idea. The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gita. They cannot. Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the cover of material circumstances, just like light reflected through a colored glass may seem according to the color. Similarly, the consciousness of Lord, it is not materially affected. The Supreme Lord, just like Krsna, He says that mayadhyaksena prakrtih [Bg. 9.10]. When He descends in this material world, His consciousness is not materially affected. Had His consciousness been materially affected, He was unfit to speak about the transcendental subject matter in the Bhagavad-gita. One cannot say anything about the transcendental world without being free from the materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord was not materially contaminated. But our consciousness, at the present moment, is materially contaminated. So whole thing, as the Bhagavad-gitateaches, we have to purify the materially contaminated consciousness and in that pure consciousness, the actions will be done. That will make us happy. We cannot stop. We cannot stop our activity. The activities are to be purified. And these purified activities are called bhakti. Bhakti means they are, they appear also just like ordinary activity, but they are not contaminated activities They are purified activities. So an ignorant person may see that a devotee is working like an ordinary man, but a person with poor fund of knowledge, he does not know that the activities of a devotee or the activities of the Lord, they are not contaminated by the impure consciousness of matter, impurity of the three gunas, modes of nature, but transcendental consciousness. So our consciousness is materially contaminated, we should know. Now when we are such materially contaminated, that is called our conditioned stage. Conditioned stage. And the false ego, the false consciousness... The false consciousness is exhibited under the impression that "I am one of the product of this material nature." That is called false ego. The whole material activities, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke, one who is absorbed in the thought of bodily conception. Now, the whole Bhagavad-gita was explained by the Lord because Arjuna represented himself with bodily conception. So one has to get free from the bodily conception of life. That is the preliminary activity for a transcendentalist who wants to get free, who wants to be liberated. And he has to learn first of all that he is not this material body. So this consciousness, or material consciousness, when we are freed from this material consciousness, that is called mukti. Mukti or liberation means to become free from material consciousness. In the Srimad-Bhagavata also the definition of liberation is said, muktir hitvanyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih [SB 2.10.6]. Svarupena vyavasthitih. Mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world...
>>> Ref. VedaBase => First Tape Recording, Done by Srila Prabhupada Himself
|
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
The BBT has printed this introduction in a small book that is very successful when it reaches a qualified audience I have seen that on bookdistribution
Here is a glorification of chapter one of the Bhagavad Gita from the Padma Purana:
GITA MAHATMYA
The Glories of Chapter One of the
Bhagavad Gita from the Padma Purana
Parvati said "My dear husband, You know all the transcendental truths, and by your
mercy I have heard the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. Oh
Lord, now I long to hear from You the glories of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita, which was
spoken by Lord Krishna, and by hearing which, one's devotion to Lord Krishna
increases"
Lord Shiva replied "That person, Whose body is the color of a dark rain cloud, whose
carrier is the king of birds, Garuda, and Who is lying on Ananta-Sesha, the thousand
headed serpent, that Lord Vishnu, Whose glories have no limit, I am always worshipping.
My dear Parvati once after Lord Vishnu had killed the demon Mura, He was resting
peacefully on Ananta-Sesha, when the bestower of all good fortune of the universe, Sri
Lakshmi, respectfully inquired from Him.
"Bhagavan, You are the controller and maintainer of the whole universe, but yet You are
sleeping unhappily on this ocean of milk What is the reason?"
Lord Vishnu said, "My dear Lakshmi, I am not sleeping, but I am watching how
wonderfully My energy is working. It is by this wonderful energy of Mine, by which I am
controlling all things, and yet remain separate. And it is by remembering these divine
activities of Mine, that the great devotees and yogis manage to free themselves from the
wheel of birth and death, and attain that transcendental nature of Mine, which is eternal
and free from all qualities"
Lakshmi said, "O, controller of all things. You are the goal of the meditation of great
yogis. Nothing can go on without You. And yet You are separate. You are the cause of
creation, maintenance and destruction of all the material universes. Kindly inform me
about the workings of Your wonderful energies, which are so attractive, that even You
are lying here, meditating upon them"
Lord Vishnu said, "My dear Lakshmi, the workings of My multi-fold energies, and how
to become free from the bonds of birth and death, and attain My eternal Nature, can only
be understood by one of pure intelligence, who has an inclination to render service unto
Me. This transcendental knowledge is fully explained in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita"
Lakshmi inquired, "My dear Lord, if you yourself are amazed, by the workings of Your
energies, and are ever trying to fathom their limit, then how is it possible that the
Bhagavad-gita can describe those unlimited energies of Yours, and how to cross over
them, and attain the transcendental nature?"
Lord Vishnu said, "I Myself have manifested in the Form of Bhagavad-gita. Please
understand that the first five chapters are My five heads, the next ten chapters are My ten
Arms, and the Sixteenth Chapter is My stomach. The last two chapters are My lotus-feet.
In this way you should understand the transcendental Deity of the Bhagavad-gita. This
Bhagavad-gita is the destroyer of all sins. And that intelligent man who daily recites one
chapter or even one shloka, one half shloka, or at least one quarter shloka, will attain the
same position as Susharma had attained."
Lakshmi inquired, "Who was Susharma? What class did he belong to? And what
destination did he attain?"
Lord Vishnu said, “My dear Lakshmi, Susharma was a very wicked and a most sinful
man. Although he was born in a brahmana family, his family had no Vedic knowledge.
And he only took pleasure from hurting others. He never engaged in the chanting of My
names, in giving charity, or receiving guests. In fact, he never performed any pious
activities. For his livelihood he collected leaves, and sold them in the bazaar. He
especially enjoyed drinking wine, and eating flesh. In this way he passed his life.
“One day that foolish Susharma had gone to the garden of one sage for collecting leaves,
when a snake came and bit him, and he died. After his death he was cast into many hells,
where he suffered for a long time. After which he attained the body of a bull. That bull
was purchased by a crippled man, who engaged him in his service. For about seven or
eight years he was carrying extremely heavy loads. One day that crippled man had piled a
very heavy load onto the back of his bull. Very quickly he was forcing that bull along
when suddenly the bull fell over and became unconscious. Many persons gathered there,
to see what was happening, feeling sorry for that bull. One pious man bestowed upon that
bull the results of some of his pious activities. Seeing that, other persons standing there
started remembering their pious activities, and offered the results of some of those
activities to that bull. In that crowd there was also one prostitute who did not know if she
had ever performed any pious activities, but seeing everyone else offering their pious
credits to that bull, she also offered the results of any pious activities she might have
performed After that, the bull died, and was taken to the abode of Yamaraja, the God of
Death.
There, Yamaraja informed him, “You are now free from the reactions of all your previous
sinful deeds, due to the pious credits given to you by that prostitute." Then he took birth
in a very high brahmana family. In that birth, he was able to remember his past lives.
After many days, he decided to search out that prostitute, who had been the cause of
freeing him from his hellish situation.
After he had found and introduced himself to that lady he inquired from her “What were
the pious activities performed by you, the fruits of which freed me from my hellish
situation?” The prostitute replied to him, “My dear sir, in that cage is one parrot, which
recites something everyday. Hearing that recitation, my heart has become completely
pure. The results of hearing that recitation I had given to you.” Thereafter they both
inquired from that parrot about that recitation. That parrot, remembering his previous life,
started to narrate his history. “Previously, I had been a very learned brahmana. But due to
my pride, I used to insult other learned persons. I was also extremely jealous. After I
died, I was cast into many hells, and after a long time of suffering, I achieved this body of
a parrot. Due to my past sinful activities, my mother and father died while I was a baby.
One day, while I was lying on the hot sands, with no protection, some rishis saw me, and
took me to their ashram, and put me in a cage. At that same place, the children of those
rishis were learning the recitation of the First Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita,
Hearing them repeat those Shlokas, I also, started repeating those shloka along with them.
“Shortly after, one thief stole me from that place and sold me to this pious lady.” Lord
Vishnu continued, “By reciting the First Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, that parrot had
become completely pure. And by hearing that recitation that prostitute also became
completely pure. And by receiving some of the pious results of hearing that recitation,
Susharma also become completely pure.
After discussing for some time the glories of the first chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Susharma
returned to his home, and the three of them individually engaged in reciting the First
Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, and very quickly attained the supreme destination,
Vaikuntha." Anyone who recites, who hears, or studies the First Chapter of Bhagavadgita,
will very easily cross over the ocean of material miseries, and attain the service of
the lotus-feet of Lord Krishna.
We should note the revers meditation on Bhagavad Gita:
Lord Vishnu said, "I Myself have manifested in the Form of Bhagavad-gita. Please
understand that the first five chapters are My five heads, the next ten chapters are My ten
Arms, and the Sixteenth Chapter is My stomach. The last two chapters are My lotus-feet.
In this way you should understand the transcendental Deity of the Bhagavad-gita. This
Bhagavad-gita is the destroyer of all sins. And that intelligent man who daily recites one
chapter or even one shloka, one half shloka, or at least one quarter shloka, will attain the
same position as Susharma had attained."
In Varaha Purana it is stressed one studies Bhagavad Gita along with the Gita Mahatmya:
GITA MAHATMYA
GLORY OF THE GITA
Dharovaacha:
Bhagavan parameshaana bhaktiravyabhichaarinee;
Praarabdham bhujyamaanasya katham bhavati he prabho.
The Earth said:
1. O Bhagavan, the Supreme Lord! How can unflinching devotion arise in him who is
immersed in his Prarabdha Karmas (worldly life), O Lord?
Sri Vishnuruvaacha:
Praarabdham bhujyamaano hi geetaabhyaasaratah sadaa;
Sa muktah sa sukhee loke karmanaa nopalipyate.
Lord Vishnu said:
2. Though engaged in the performance of worldly duties, one who is regular in the study
of the Gita becomes free. He is the happy man in this world. He is not bound by Karma.
Mahaapaapaadipaapaani geetaadhyaanam karoti chet;
Kwachit sparsham na kurvanti nalineedalam ambuvat.
3. Just as the water stains not the lotus leaf, even so sins do not taint him who is regular in
the recitation of the Gita.
Geetaayaah pustakam yatra yatra paathah pravartate;
Tatra sarvaani teerthaani prayaagaadeeni tatra vai.
4. All the sacred centres of pilgrimage, like Prayag and other places, dwell in that place
where the Gita is kept, and where the Gita is read.
Sarve devaashcha rishayo yoginahpannagaashcha ye;
Gopaalaa gopikaa vaapi naaradoddhava paarshadaih.
5. All the gods, sages, Yogins, divine serpents, Gopalas, Gopikas (friends and devotees of
Lord Krishna), Narada, Uddhava and others (dwell here).
Sahaayo jaayate sheeghram yatra geetaa pravartate;
Yatra geetaavichaarashcha pathanam paathanam shrutam;
Tatraaham nishchitam prithvi nivasaami sadaiva hi.
6. Help comes quickly where the Gita is recited and, O Earth, I ever dwell where it is
read, heard, taught and contemplated upon!
Geetaashraye’ham tishthaami geetaa me chottamam griham;
Geetaajnaanam upaashritya treen Uokaan paalayaamyaham.
7. I take refuge in the Gita, and the Gita is My best abode. I protect the three worlds with
the knowledge of the Gita.
Geetaa me paramaa vidyaa brahmaroopaa na samshayah;
Ardhamaatraaksharaa nityaa swaanirvaachyapadaatmikaa.
8. The Gita is My highest science, which is doubtless of the form of Brahman, the
Eternal, the Ardhamatra (of the Pranava Om), the ineffable splendour of the Self.
Chidaanandena krishnena proktaa swamukhato’rjuna;
Vedatrayee paraanandaa tatwaarthajnaanasamyutaa.
9. It was spoken by the blessed Lord Krishna, the all-knowing, through His own mouth,
to Arjuna. It contains the essence of the Vedas—the knowledge of the Reality. It is full of
supreme bliss.
Yoashtaadasha japen nityam naro nishchalamaanasah;
Jnaanasiddhim sa labhate tato yaati param padam.
10. He who recites the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita daily, with a pure and
unshaken mind, attains perfection in knowledge, and reaches the highest state or supreme
goal.
Paathe’asamarthah sampoornam tato’rdham paathamaacharet;
Tadaa godaanajam punyam labhate naatra samshayah.
11. If a complete reading is not possible, even if only half is read, he attains the benefit of
giving a cow as a gift. There is no doubt about this.
Tribhaagam pathamaanastu gangaasnaanaphalam labhet;
Shadamsham japamaanastu somayaagaphalam labhet.
12. He who recites one-third part of it achieves the merit of a bath in the sacred river
Ganges; and who recites one-sixth of it attains the merit of performing a Soma sacrifice
(a kind of ritual).
Ekaadhyaayam tu yo nityam pathate bhaktisamyutah;
Rudralokam avaapnoti gano bhootwaa vasecchiram.
13. That person who reads one discourse with supreme faith and devotion attains to the
world of Rudra and, having become a Gana (an attendant of Lord Shiva), lives there for
many years.
Adhyaayam shlokapaadam vaa nityam yah pathate narah;
Sa yaati narataam yaavanmanwantaram vasundhare.
14. If one reads a discourse or even a part of a verse daily he, O Earth, retains a human
body till the end of a Manvantara (71 Mahayugas or 308,448,000 years).
Geetaayaah shloka dashakam sapta pancha chatushtayam;
Dwautreenekam tadardhamvaa shlokaanaam yah pathennarah.
Chandralokam avaapnoti varshaanaam ayutam dhruvam;
Geetaapaathasamaayukto mrito maanushataam vrajet.
15-16. He who repeats ten, seven, five, four, three, two verses or even one or half of it,
attains the region of the moon and lives there for 10,000 years. Accustomed to the daily
study of the Gita, a dying man comes back to life again as a human being.
Geetaabhyaasam punah kritwaa labhate muktim uttamaam;
Geetetyucchaarasamyukto mriyamaano gatim labhet.
17. By repeated study of the Gita, he attains liberation. Uttering the word Gita at the time
of death, a person attains liberation.
Geetaarthashravanaasakto mahaapaapayuto’pi vaa;
Vaikuntham samavaapnoti vishnunaa saha modate.
18. Though full of sins, one who is ever intent on hearing the meaning of the Gita, goes
to the kingdom of God and rejoices with Lord Vishnu.
Geetaartham dhyaayate nityam kritwaa karmaani bhoorishah;
Jeevanmuktah sa vijneyo dehaante paramam padam.
19. He who meditates on the meaning of the Gita, having performed many virtuous
actions, attains the supreme goal after death. Such an individual should be considered a
true Jivanmukta.
.
Geetaam aashritya bahavo bhoobhujo janakaadayah;
Nirdhootakalmashaa loke geetaa yaataah param padam.
20. In this world, taking refuge in the Gita, many kings like Janaka and others reached
the highest state or goal, purified of all sins.
Geetaayaah pathanam kritwaa maahaatmyam naiva yah pathet;
Vrithaa paatho bhavet tasya shrama eva hyudaahritah.
21. He who fails to read this “Glory of the Gita” after having read the Gita, loses the
benefit thereby, and the effort alone remains.
Etanmaahaatmyasamyuktam geetaabhyaasam karoti yah;
Sa tatphalamavaapnoti durlabhaam gatim aapnuyaat.
22. One who studies the Gita, together with this “Glory of the Gita”, attains the fruits
mentioned above, and reaches the state which is otherwise very difficult to be attained.
Suta Uvaacha:
Maahaatmyam etad geetaayaah mayaa proktam sanaatanam;
Geetaante cha pathedyastu yaduktam tatphalam labhet.
Suta said:
23. This greatness or “Glory of the Gita”, which is eternal, as narrated by me, should be
read at the end of the study of the Gita, and the fruits mentioned therein will be obtained.
Iti srivaraahapuraane srigeetaamaahaatmyam sampoornam.
Thus ends the “Glory of the Gita” contained in the Varaha Purana.
This meditation is very essential and spoken by Sripad Sankacarya:
gita shastram idam punyam
yah pateth prayatah puman
vishnoh padam avapnoti
bhaya-shokadi varjitah (Gita-mahatmya 1)
(1) He who studies this Gita scripture with humility is freed from fear and misery and attains the feet of Lord Vishnu.
gita adhyaana-shilasya
pranayama-paraasya cha
naiva santi he paapani
purva janme kritani cha (Gita-mahatmya 2)
(2) That person who is in the habit of reading the Gita and who is also devoted to practising pranayama (breathing exercises) is not touched by sins, even those done in his previous birth.
mala nirmochanam pumsam
jala snanam dine dine
sakrid gitambhaasi snanam
samsara mala nashanam (Gita-mahatmya 3)
(3) Human beings must bathe in water every day to get rid of the dirt (of the body), but bathing in the water of the Gita once is enough to get rid of the dirt of this samsara (cycle of birth and death).
gita sugita kartavya
kim anyaih shastra vistaraih
ya svyam padama nabhaayasa
mukha padmad vinih srita (Gita-mahatmya 4)
(4) This Gita which has come out of the lotus-like face of the Lord (He who has the lotus in His navel) and which is so melodious, should be studied. There is no need to study any other scriptures in detail.
bharat amrita sarvasam
vishnor vaktrad vini sritam
gita gangodakam pitva
punar janma na vidyate (Gita-mahatmya 5)
(5) After drinking the water of the Gita which is the nectar of the entire Bharata (the epic Mahabharata) and which has come out of the mouth of Vishnu, there is no more birth (in this world).
sarvo panishado gavo
dogdha gopala nandanah
partho vatsah sudhir bhokta
dugdham gita amritam mahat (Gita-mahatmya 6)
(6) All the Upanishads are the cows, the one who milks the cows is Krishna, Arjuna (Partha) is the calf.
Men of purified intellect are the enjoyers; the milk is the great nectar of the Gita.
The only scripture is the song of the son of Devaki. The only deity is the son of Devaki.
The only mantra is His Names. The only action is the service of That Deity.
ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam
eko devo devaki-putra eva
eko mantras tasya namani yani
karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva (Gita-mahatmya 7)
(7) In this present day, man ispeople are very eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation. SoTherefore, ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam: let there beone scripture only,one common scripture, for the whole world—Bhagavad-gita. And Eko devo devaki-putra eva: let there be one God only for the whole world—Sri Krsna. Eko mantras tasya namani: And one hymn, one mantra, one prayer only—the chanting of His name: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva: And let there be one work only—the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lord Shiva in Gita Mahatmya, states that "only one God - Krishna, the son of Devaki" (Verse 7).
Gita Dhyanam
Om paarthaaya pratibodhitaam bhagavataa naaraayanenaswayam,
Vyaasena grathitaam puraanamuninaa madhye mahaabhaaratam;
Advaitaamritavarshineem bhagavateem ashtaadashaa dhyaayineem,
Amba twaam anusandadhaami bhagavadgeete bhavadweshineem.
1. Om. O Bhagavad Gita, with which Partha was illumined by Lord Narayana Himself, and which was composed within the Mahabharata by the ancient sage, Vyasa, O Divine Mother, the destroyer of rebirth, the showerer of the nectar of Advaita, and consisting of eighteen discourses—upon Thee, O Gita,Oaffectionate Mother, I meditate!
Namostu te vyaasa vishaalabuddhe phullaaravindaayatapatranetra;
Yena twayaa bhaaratatailapoornah prajwaalito jnaanamayah pradeepah.
2. Salutations unto thee, O Vyasa, of broad intellect and with eyes like the petals of a full-blown lotus, by whom the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata, has been lighted!
Prapannapaarijaataaya totravetraikapaanaye;
Jnaanamudraaya krishnaaya geetaamritaduhe namah.
3. Salutations to Lord Krishna, the Parijata or the Kalpataru or the bestower of all desires for those who take refuge in Him, the holder of the whip in one hand, the holder of the symbol of divine knowledge and the milker of the divine nectar of the Bhagavad Gita!
Sarvopanishado gaavo dogdhaa gopaalanandanah;
Paartho vatsah sudheer bhoktaa dugdham geetaamritam mahat.
4. All the Upanishads are the cows; the milker is Krishna; the cowherd boy, Partha (Arjuna), is the calf; men of purified intellect are the drinkers; the milk is the great nectar of the Gita.
Vasudevasutam devam kamsachaanooramardanam;
Devakeeparamaanandam krishnam vande jagadgurum.
5. I salute Sri Krishna, the world-teacher, son of Vasudeva, the destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme bliss of Devaki!
Bheeshmadronatataa jayadrathajalaa gaandhaaraneelotpalaa;
Shalyagraahavatee kripena vahanee karnena velaakulaa;
Ashwatthaama-vikarna-ghora-makaraa duryodhanaavartinee;
Sotteernaa khalu paandavai rananadee kaivartakah keshavah.
6. With Kesava as the helmsman, verily was crossed by the Pandavas the battle-river, whose banks were Bhishma and Drona, whose water was Jayadratha, whose blue lotus was the king of Gandhara, whose crocodile was Salya, whose current was Kripa, whose billow was Karna, whose terrible alligators were Vikarna and Asvatthama, whose whirlpool was Duryodhana.
Paaraasharya vachah sarojamamalam geetaarthagandhotkatam;
Naanaakhyaanakakesaram harikathaa sambodhanaabodhitam;
Loke sajjana shatpadairaharahah pepeeyamaanam mudaa;
Bhooyaadbhaaratapankajam kalimala pradhwamsinah shreyase.
7. May this lotus of the Mahabharata, born in the lake of the words of Vyasa, sweet with the fragrance of the meaning of the Gita, with many stories as its stamens, fully opened by the discourses of Hari, the destroyer of the sins of Kali, and drunk joyously by the bees of good men in the world, become day by day the bestower of good to us!
Mookam karoti vaachaalam pangum langhayate girim;
Yatkripaa tamaham vande paramaanandamaadhavam.
8. I salute that Madhava, the source of supreme bliss, whose Grace makes the dumb eloquent and the cripple cross mountains!
Yam brahmaa varunendrarudramarutah stunwanti divyaih stavaih,
Vedaih saangapadakramopanishadair gaayanti yam saamagaah,
Dhyaanaavasthitatadgatena manasaa pashyanti yam yogino,
Yasyaantam na viduh suraasuraganaa devaaya tasmai namah.
9. Salutations to that God whom Brahma, Indra, Varuna, Rudra and the Maruts praise with divine hymns, of whom the Sama-chanters sing by the Vedas and their Angas (in the Pada and Krama methods), and by the Upanishads; whom the Yogis see with their minds absorbed in Him through meditation, and whose ends the hosts of Devas and Asuras know not!
One sloka from Varaha Purana that struck me was:
Sarve devaashcha rishayo yoginahpannagaashcha ye;
Gopaalaa gopikaa vaapi naaradoddhava paarshadaih.
5. All the gods, sages, Yogins, divine serpents, Gopalas, Gopikas (friends and devotees of
Lord Krishna), Narada, Uddhava and others (dwell here)
your servant
Paramananda das
Views: 989
-
Comment by Paramananda das on August 3, 2011 at 12:42pm
-
"Intro 2 to Bhagavad-gita"
66/02/19-20 New York,
Continuation of the first tape recording, done by Srila Prabhupada himself
-
-
Comment
About
Welcome to
Sastra Caksusa
© 2024 Created by Paramananda das.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Sastra Caksusa to add comments!
Join Sastra Caksusa