Transcendental Nectar of Sadhu-Sanga

 Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah

Introduction to Srimad Bhagavad-Gita:

The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute

by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

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vande sri-guru-gaurangau, radha-govinda-sundarau

sa-gunau giyate catha, gita-gudhartha-gauravam

 Bowing down to the holy feet of Sri Guru, Sri Gauranga, and Sri Sri Radha Govindasundara, all accompanied by Their associates, I shall sing the great glory of the hidden treasure of Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

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The Srimad Bhagavad-gita is well-known by the learned. Therefore, some explanation of the procedure adopted by this edition's editor must initially be given. The editor belongs to the school of thought descending in disciplic line from Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We will therefore distinguish that the present edition is based on the commentaries on Sri Gita as given by the preeminent, exalted Sri Gaudiya Vaisnava Acaryas: Sri Visvanatha, Sri Baladeva, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

By the manifest grace of our worshipful spiritual master, Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, and from hints given by the aforementioned great pure devotees, some new light has been shed herein, unfolding deeper meanings throughout the text. The devotional reader will appreciate this distinction particularly in noting the purport of the four verses (10.8-11) which were explained by Sri Visvanathapada to be the four essential verses (catuh-sloki) of the book.

Generally, Sri Gita is known as an excellent study of the science of religion. The language of Sri Gita is simple and sweet; its mood is grave, extensive, and fundamental; its thought is brief, distinct, and impartial; and its logic is sound and natural. The prologue, epilogue, exposition, review, analysis, synthesis, and art of presentation of Sri Gita is unprecendented and charming to the extreme.

Sri Gita is activation for the lazy, courage for the coward, hope for the hopeless, and new life for the dying. Sri Gita unifies and sustains all ranks, whether revolutionist, occultist, optimist, renunciationist, liberationist, or full-fledged theist. From the atheist of grossly crude vision, to the most elevated saint, the essential conceptions of all classes of philosophers are dealt with in clear and forceful logic. The fruitive worker, the learned, and the yoga practitioner (karmi, jnani, and yogi) and the devotee of the Lord will find herein a comprehensive and illuminating exposition on the substance of their respective philosophies, and thus the book is highly esteemed by all.

The essential teachings of the Vedas and Upanisads of the Aryans is directly explained, and upon a little closer scrutiny, the gist of various non-Aryan doctrines may also be detected in the text. Within the purport of Sri Gita we find that the purification of consciousness through wisdom arises from materially unmotivated performance of scripturally enjoined duties, resulting in self-knowledge - absolute existential knowledge, or divine realization. In full maturity, this pure, spotless perception culminates in the quest for loving service in pure cognition, in the divine ecstatic realm.

In the analysis of sambandha-jnana, or knowledge of divine relationship, Sri Gita has revealed that the nature of the most original truth is a transcendental all-conscious  personality. In the analysis of prayojana, or the supreme objective, internal inspiration of pure love in pursuit of the Supreme Absolute Reality has been mentioned as the perfectional attainment. And in the analysis of abhidheya, or the method of attaining the desired goal, the first stage has been revealed as offering all one's actions to the Supreme Lord, followed by the cultivation of internal self-knowledge, which arises according to one's progressive realization of the Lord.

Finally, by giving up all other endeavors, one surrenders exclusively unto the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna. In other words by taking shelter of pure unalloyed faith, one is situated in one's perfected divine identity and engages in divine loving service to the Lord, which is the ultimate goal of all devotional practices.

Sri Gita has clearly distinguished and delineated the characteristics of the nondevotional paths based on action (karma) and knowledge (jnana) and their corresponding achievable objectives of sense enjoyment (kama) and liberation (moksa).

Therefore, the intelligent can note that by the statement, yo yac chraddhah sa eva sah, "One is identified by his particular faith", Sri Gita has drawn an objective comparison of different paths and their goals, thus disarming and exposing those who create confusion by supporting the concoction that the many paths and goals are "all one". In this respect, the following verses (6.46-47) deserve special attention:

tapasvibhyo 'dhiko yogi, jnanibhyo 'pi mato 'dhikah

karmibhyas cadhiko yogi, tasmad yogi bhavarjuna

yoginam api sarvesam, mad-gatenantaratmana

sraddhavan bhajate yo mam, sa me yuktatamo matah

Tyaga or renunciation has been completely condemned, and its futility has been emphatically asserted. This proclamation shows the conclusive, intrinsic gift of Sri Gita. Karma-yoga, or offering one's actions to the Supreme Lord without provincial interest, is preferred above karma-tyaga, or renunciation of action. Finally, full self-surrender to the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, with every action dedicated by divine inspiration in His loving service is the ultimate and supreme teaching of Sri Gita.

By a meticulous, deep study of Sri Gita, one will find it to be the king of all scriptures - the bestower of the highest devotion. In its full-fledged nature, this devotion is the most supreme love divine - love for the all-attractive Supreme Personality - Sri Krishna, Reality the Beautiful.

Sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja 

- the grand, vibrant, and resounding clarion call of Sri Gita has proclaimed the glories of life's superexcellent objective. Hidden, more hidden, and the most hidden treasures have been given, from the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord (sankirtana) up to spontaneous devotion (bhava-seva) in the life of total dedication to the cultivation of Krishna consciousness with exclusive surrender.

This is the consistent and unanimous conclusion of the pure parampara, or descending spiritual succession, as corroborated by the genuine followers of the lotus footsteps of Sri Chaitanyacandra, the original Supreme Lord, who descends to deliver the fallen souls of Kali-yuga, this iron age of quarrel and strife.

May this edition be an offering unto Lord Sri Krishna.

Swami B. R. Sridhar

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

Nabadwip, India

 

*His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj (founder-acarya of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math) is a veteran ascetic preceptor in the divine succession of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. His unique delivery of pure Vaisnava thought forms the synthesis of the highest ontological truths.

His divine flow of continuous spiritual discourse is evidence of his treasure of devotional, scriptural and practical experience. His dynamic representation corroborates the living presence of the Supreme Autocrat, Sri Krishna, as the fountainhead of all transcendental ecstasy and the Supreme Objective of the conscious world.

Thus, for his deep philosophical, traditional and devotional foundation, Srila Sridhar Maharaj was unanimously declared to be the senior preceptor and authority amongst all his colleagues in the school of noble, erudite personalities and great souls.

His Divine Grace is a prolific author and commentator of pure devotional literature, and he is the composer of innumerable exclusive devotional prayers, stanzas and songs in Sanskrit and Bengali. Because of his purity in the line of Srila Rupa Goswami, he was awarded the title of "Bhakti Raksak" (the guardian of devotion) by his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad.