Transcendental Nectar of Sadhu-Sanga

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

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Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

The Hidden Treasure

of the

Sweet Absolute

Srila Bhakti Raksak

Sridhar Dev-Goswami

Maharaj

Sankhya-yoga
The Constitution of the Soul

Chapter 2 ~ part 5

Prepared by: Jagamohini Devi Dasi (USA)

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parasarya-vachah sarojam-amalam gitartha-gandhotkatam

nanakhyanaka-kesaram hari-katha-sambodhanabodhitam

loke sajjana-sat-padair ahar-ahah pepiyamanam muda

bhuyad Bharata-pankajam kali-mala-pradhvamsi nah sreyase

~ Mangalacharanam: 7

These words of Sri Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Muni, are a perfect lotus flower. The meaning of the Gita is the beautiful fragrance of this lotus, the various episodes are its stamens, and the enlightening narrations about the Supreme Lord are its nectar. In this world, the pure devotees are the bees who day after day delight in drinking the nectar of the lotus flower. May this Mahabharata lotus, the vanquisher of all evils in this age of Kali, graciously bestow auspiciousness upon us.

~ Auspicious Invocation of Sri Gita: 7

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In the introduction to Srimad Bhagavad-Gita: The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj notes that Sri Gita has clearly shown the distinction between the various paths, such as the path of action, including worship of the gods for worldly fulfillment, and the path of knowledge, for the attainment of liberation. The thoughtful reader can note that Sri Gita, by its comparative study, refutes the misconception that the many paths and goals are ‘all one’. Rather it is stated, yo yach chhradhah sa eva sah, “A man is known by his faith.”

He reminds us that the following verses, found in chapter six of Sri Gita, warrant deep consideration in this respect:

“The yogi is superior to persons engaged in austerities, superior to the persons of knowledge, and superior to the person of action… Therefore, O Arjuna, be a yogi. And best of all yogis is My faithful devotee for whom I am the only goal, and who serves Me whole-heartedly. This is My opinion.” (6.46-47)

Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj explains that “in showing the inferiority and meaninglessness of dry renunciation, the gift of Sri Gita is most substantial and positive. Rather than merely renouncing action, one should selflessly offer one’s actions to the Supreme Lord (karma-yoga).Ultimately, based on one’s surrender; one will be inspired to act in devotion (bhakti) for the Lord alone. This is the conclusive and sublime teaching of Sri Gita. In the finest conception, the overall excellence of Sri Gita is found in its gift of devotion.”

As chapter two of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita continues, this rarest gift of devotion is illuminated and we are led closer to the divine hidden treasure.

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traigunya-visaya veda, nistraigunyo bhavarjuna

nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho,niryoga-ksema atmavan  (Gita 2.45)

O Arjuna, the Vedas deal with the three modes of material nature (by accommodating fruitive action and liberation as an allowance and incentive for persons who are ignorant of the true objective of the Vedas). But you, Arjuna, give up duality and all pursuits for gain and preservation, stand ever in the plane of truth, and by the yoga of wisdom, transcend the modes of nature.

(The objective of the Vedas is transcendental. Without fruitive action or liberation, O Arjuna, follow the transcendental path of devotion to the Lord as taught by the Vedas.)  (Gita 2.45)

In his Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamrtam, Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj has included the sloka from Sri Bilvamangal Thakur’s Krishna Karnamrta about the generous and captivating nature of devotion:

bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syad

daivena nah phalati divya-kisora-murttih

muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate ‘sman

dharmartha-kama-gatayah samaya-pratiksah

"Oh, Devotion, you are of such a magnanimous nature, if there is any way that we can have your least favor, then mukti (salvation or liberation) will wait to serve us with open arms. What to speak of mukti, even dharma (ritualistic virtue), artha (affluence), and kama (material enjoyment) will be waiting far, far away for whenever their calling bell is sounding. Then, they will rush to our feet saying, `What do you want?" The bhakta is there. They are always eager to serve him but he does not want. He does not have any attention for such appeal. No attention, no time to spare for thinking about them: He is deeply engaged in the service of Krishna.

Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur has explained the more about the inner meaning of devotion in this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam: 1.2.6:

sai vai pumsam paro dharmo

yatho bhaktir adhoksaje

ahaituky apratihata

yayatma suprasidati

The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which man can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be causeless and uninterrupted, to completely satisfy the self.

He explains that here, krsna-bhakti is described as ahaituki, causeless, and also apratihata, continuous –so when it is awakened in our heart, we can feel that our heart is getting wonderfully satisfied, yayatma suprasidati. The satisfaction is produced in our heart, we can feel it. Ahaituky apratihata: it has no cause; and it cannot be checked, cannot be opposed, opposition cannot have any effect there – it is such. Bhakti comes from bhakti. In this way it is ahaituki. Just as when the light is there and another candle is lit from it. From light, light is coming. In this way we are to trace it out, to understand it: the original Light, that is eternal, self-existent, and is extending itself, so it has no cause, it is ‘causeless’. The cause is there eternally, and it is extending itself.    (Awakening to the Absolute)

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yavan artha udapane, sarvatah samplutodake

tavan sarvesu vedesu, brahmanasya vijanatah  (Gita 2.46)

As all the purposes served by several ponds can be served better by a large lake, similarly, the fruits of worshipping the various gods by their respective Vedic prayers are surpassed by serving Me. The knower of Brahman who thus knows the purport of the Vedas fulfills all life’s objectives.  (Gita 2.46)

Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj gives another example: "If we supply water to the root the whole tree will be fed. Similarly, by faith we can realize that if we do everything for Him, The center of Beauty Personified, everything will be beautifully done! With all your might contribute your quota, however small, and from that point your efforts will be distributed beautifully. And this is the highest harmony."

ajnajaiva gunan dosan, mayadistan api svakan

dharmman samtyajya yah sarvvan

myam bhajet sa ca sattamah

"Even crossing the scriptures I exist, even though those directions are given by Me." So, directions are of different classes. And Krishna says, "Sometimes it will be necessary to show devotion to Me, even crossing My own laws." (Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion)

"In the scriptures of religion, I, the Supreme Lord, have instructed men of all statuses of life in their duties. Duly comprehending the purificatory virtue of executing those prescribed duties as well as the vice of neglecting them; one who abandons all allegiance to such dutifulness in order to engage in My devotional service is the best of honest men (sadhu)." (Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamrtam)

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karmany evadhikaras te, ma phalesu kadachana

ma karma-phala-hetur bhur, ma te sango ‘stv akarmani  (Gita 2.47)

Your right is to your work, never to the fruits. Be neither motivated by the fruit of action nor inclined to give up action.  (Gita 2.47)

I shall now describe niskama karma-yoga, the path of selfless action. You have a right to perform your natural prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to any fruits of that action. You should neither act with desire to enjoy the fruits of your work, nor, as a result, should you be attached to neglecting your duties.” (Gita 2.47).

“We are only agents, and we are working because He has ordered us, so we must remember what is bhakti, what is devotion proper. Whatever I do, the wage I earn must not come to me; I am only an agent. The benefit should go to the proprietor, to my master, Krishna. We should move with this idea, and that will be bhakti proper. Otherwise, we will be engaged in karma-kanda: fruit-hunting. I want to enjoy the result of karma for myself, but the result should go to my master. I am His servant; I am working under His order. I am His slave; I am not the proprietor. I am not the proper person to be the recipient of the fruits of energy. The master of energy is the Supreme Lord, and all the products of energy should go to Him. It must not be tampered with on the way. This should be the attitude of every worker. Then it will be bhakti proper. We are not the recipients; He is the recipient. We must always be conscious that the only beneficiary is He. Only then are we devotees. We are not the beneficiaries, but selfless workers.

It is said in the Bhagavad-gita (2.47): “You have a right to perform your duty, but you have no right to enjoy the fruits of your work.” This is a great warning. Krishna says, “Do not think that because you are not the beneficiary of the fruits of your action, you have no reason to take so much trouble to work – never.” That is the most heinous curse, to think that because I am not the beneficiary, I am not going to work. Even selfless activity is also of a lower order. Rather we must perform godly activity for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. That is bhakti, or devotion. And there is also a gradation in bhakti: there is a big division between vidhi-bhakti and raga-bhakti, calculative devotion and spontaneous devotion.” (The Search for Sri Krishna)

“There may be so many stalwarts, like Bhisma and Drona, who fall flat in the battlefield, but still we must go on. We are out to fight to the end.” (Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion)

“Give your full concentration to discharging your duty and not to the result of your work. The result is with Me; all responsibility is with Me.”

Higher calculation is like that. The generals say, “March! Go forward. Onward! You have to go. You are my soldiers; whatever I shall ask, you must do. You may die and the victory may come afterward; that is not your concern. You are soldiers; many of you may be finished, but the country as a whole will gain.”

In this way, so many important lives may be sacrificed. And as soldiers, we have no right to calculate whether we shall gain or lose in the long run. There are two things we must be very careful about. We shouldn’t think that if we can’t enjoy the fruits of our labor, then there is no reason to work. At the same time, we shouldn’t think that we must get some share of the fruits. Remembering this, we should go on discharging our duty to Krishna. That is devotion, and that is the meaning of Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita says, “You can’t change the environment. If you want peace, you must regulate yourself according to the environment.” The whole gist of Bhagavad-gita’s advice is found here: Try to adjust yourself with the environment, because you are not the master of the environment. All your energy should be devoted to regulate yourself and not the outside world. This is the key to success in spiritual life.” (Loving Search for the Lost Servant)

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yoga-sthah kuru karmani, sangam tyaktva dhananjaya

siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva, samatvam yoga uchyate  (Gita 2.48)

O Dhananjaya, give up the ego that you are the doer, and be equipoised in success and failure. Thus stand firm in the plane of yoga and do your prescribed duties. Such a state of balance is indeed known as yoga.  (Gita 2.48)

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durena hy avaram karma, buddhi-yogad dhananjaya

buddhau saranam anvichcha, krpanah phala-hetavah  (Gita 2.49)

O Dhananjaya, (fruitive) action is far inferior to this yoga of wisdom; those motivated by the fruits of their actions are misers. Therefore, seek refuge in the selfless wisdom of equanimity.  (Gita 2.49)

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buddhi-yukto jahatiha, ubhe sukrta-duskrte

tasmad yogaya yujyasva, yogah karmasu kausalam  (Gita 2.50)

The wise person abstains from both good and bad actions in this world. Engage thus in yoga, as yoga is the art of all works.  (Gita 2.50)

raso 'py asya, param drstva nivartate. By even slightly coming in contact with the dignified position of our own soul, all worldly charm will vanish; and even that will seem to be a negligible thing compared to the awakening of higher levels of realizations,  up to the Super-soul - Paramatma - then to Narayana and Krishna! There is so much ecstatic enjoyment on that side and it will be realized only when it will be revealed within us. Though to our present conception it is far away, still, that experiencer, that taster, is within us: it is the jivatma. And if we try to concentrate even for a second there, we will find what a dignified position the soul holds. We shall think, “Who are these thieves? The intellect, mind and senses are all thieves and plunderers. They are taking me into the land of misery as if through some intricate conspiracy.” It will seem like that to us.  (Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion)

“After getting a taste of divine sweetness, suspicion vanishes, rasa-varjam raso 'py asya, param drstva nivartate. When we have a taste of real ecstasy (rasa), then all doubts are cleared. By getting a taste of Krishna consciousness, the heart is captured, and when the heart is captured, the ecstasy of love of Godhead, prema, begins to flow.  Being satisfied, the heart will say, “This is what I was searching for!”  Then, the brain will follow, thinking, “Yes, there can be no doubt, this is the highest goal of our search. Dissolve everything else.”  (The Golden Volcano of Divine Love)

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karma-jam buddhi-yukta hi, phalam tyaktva manisinah

janma-bandha-vinirmuktah, padam gachchhanty anamayam  (Gita 2.51)

The wise are enlightened by giving up the fruits of their actions, and thus obtaining liberation from the bondage of birth, they reach the plane beyond all suffering.  (Gita 2.51)

akincanasya dantasya santasya sama-cetasah

maya santusta-manasah sarvah sukha-maya disah

“One who does not desire anything within this world, who has achieved peace by controlling his senses, whose consciousness is equal in all conditions and whose mind is completely satisfied in Me finds only happiness wherever he goes. “ (Srimad Bhagavatam: 11.14.13).

“Krsna’s divine will is in the background of everything that exists. And when one comes in connection with that paramount power, that original plane of reality, he will not have any care; he will become fearless.” (Subjective Evolution of Consciousness)

Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj has said, “When I am in a normal state, I will be able to feel that so many sweet waves are coming from all around me. The Lord says, “For one who is satisfied in Me, then all the four directions will bring only good news to him.”

Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj reminds us, “We must be free…we are to be a free member of the infinite world where there is the noble flow of dedication. There is no aspiration of any limited type there, but a wholesale dedicating flow is going toward the center. That is our home; that is the soil where we can live eternally. There, they are all individuals, and there is no death, no birth, no infirmity and no disease. Our innermost self must come out and mix with the members of that soil.”

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yada te moha-kalilam, buddhir vyatitarisyati

tada gantasi nirvedam, srotavyasya srutasya cha (Gita 2.52)

When your intelligence fully emerges from the dense forest of illusion, you will be indifferent to all that has been heard or is yet to be heard.  (Gita 2.52)

“According to the thread of their karma, the living beings are wandering throughout many species of life in the universe. Among all such wandering souls, one for whom the fortune of spiritual merit has arisen by which devotion is facilitated, gains the seed of the creeper of devotion by the grace of Guru and Krsna; that seed is good faith (sraddha).” (Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion)

“Wandering throughout the material universe, the very fortunate living entity who receives the grace of Guru and Krsna receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Chaitanya-charitamrta: Madhya 19.151) and (The Search for Sri Krishna)

In such a charming and meaningful way, Srila BR Sridhar Maharaj reminds us, “Srimad-Bhagavatam ( 1.1.2) says, vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam: Reality is vastavam vastu, the real substance above all of the unreal, imaginary things of this world. All the accumulated knowledge in relation to this world is a wholesale concoction. It is the result of misreading the environment and is full of misinterpretation and misconception. The whole thing – the vocabulary, the history, the epics, the whole thing, whatever has been collected – is all a misrepresentation of the truth, and we are in the midst of that. We are captivated within that, but at the same time we have the capacity to enter the plane of real life because we are a particle of that higher world. So we must go back to God, back to home.”

Home is there. What charm can there be for us here where there is death, and then birth again, and where everything is stale and produces dissipation and suffering? Mortality, suffering, and death – and even then it is not finished, but we must continuously come here again and again and follow the same course of life!

So try to obtain real relief, and help others also to take up their proper life away from this undesirable atmosphere. We must go “back to Godhead”, where everything is wonderful. What is that Godhead? Our home is there! – Our home, sweet, sweet home. We are a child of that soil, and the scriptures urge us: “You have got this human life, this chance, so always try, by all means – by thinking, by meditation, by talking, by hearing – to cultivate your own true identity, your noble identity, in your homeland where the soul lives. Always, always, always engage

yourself in that. Try to avoid this plane of misconception by any means and enter into that land.”

Going back to Godhead means going back to our own soil, our real home. What is night to us now – that we will make our day! Where there is presently darkness to us – we are to find light there; and what is so apparently plain and expressively clear – that must be neglected. In our earnest calculation the entire world of exploitation and self-interest should be kicked into the darkness, and we should withdraw wholesale from that ‘knowledge’. And what is dark to us now we should try to make light by always giving our attention, thoughtful consideration, and adherence to achieving residence in the higher soil, the land of wonders where everything is wonderful.  (Golden Staircase)

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sruti-vipratipanna te, yada sthasyati nischala

samadhav achala buddhis, tada yogam avapsyasi  (Gita 2.53)

You shall attain perfect yoga or pure devotion when your intelligence, undisturbed by the apparent contradictions of the Vedas, abides in the Lord.  (Gita 2.53)

"Only through love and devotion can I be understood as I am. Thereafter, fully understanding Me, you can merge into My entourage." This "merging" is explained by Krishna: "They enter into Me to become a person in My family. Among the circles of My friends, he enters: visate tad-anantaram. He becomes as if My own. That means that without losing your personality you can be fully My own." To enter into the Lord’s family is a living merging, not a physical or dead merging into Brahman, spirit. That is the result of prema. (Loving Search for the Lost Servant)

brahmanda brahmite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"We have to acquire this capacity during the course of our wanderings in different positions throughout the creation. We are wandering from this land to that, from this species to that species, and in the course of that, we gather some sukrti, pious credits. ajnata sukrti means that unknowingly and unconsciously our energy is spent in the service of the Lord, and the reaction comes in the form of some pious credits. And when sukrti is more developed, it becomes jnata sukrti, or pious activities knowingly performed. Then, sraddha, or faith, our inner attraction for the universal truth, comes to the surface. In this way it may develop from any stage. Even a beast may feel the tendency to serve Krishna. In Vrndavana, so many living beings: trees, beasts, and even the water have acquired their position by consciously desiring it. Although they have accepted an apparently material pose, they eternally hold that position in the service of Krishna." (The Search for Sri Krishna)

In Awakening to the Absolute, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj has quoted a verse from Sri Brahma Samhita to further illuminate this sloka:

prabuddhe jnana-bhaktibhyam

atmany ananda-cinmayi

udety anuttama bhaktir

bhagavat-prema-laksana

“When transcendental experience awakens by means of Knowledge and Devotion, the highest Devotion symptomized by Love for the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, the Beloved of the soul, awakens in the devotee’s heart.” (Sri Brahma-samhita: 58)

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