KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM HH HARIVILAS MAHARAJ’S MORNING BHAGAVATAM CLASS ON SB 2.4.16 TODAY (06/09/21):
- Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has repeatedly instructed Arjuna, or for that matter everyone concerned with becoming His unalloyed devotee. – “My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me, and therefore only for your good, I will disclose the most secret part of My instructions. It is simply this: become a pure devotee of Mine and give yourself unto Me only, and I promise you full spiritual existence, by which you may gain the eternal right of transcendental loving service unto Me. Just give up all other ways of religiosity and exclusively surrender unto Me and believe that I will protect you from your sinful acts, and I shall deliver you. Do not worry anymore.” [alternate translation of the verses BG18.64 -66].
- Persons who are intelligent take serious notice of this last instruction of the Lord.
- The culmination of the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā is God-realization, and when one attains this stage of God-realization, he naturally, voluntarily becomes a devotee of the Lord to render Him loving transcendental service.
- This devotional service to the Lord is always based on love of God and is distinct from the nature of routine service as prescribed in karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga.
- One who fully surrenders unto the Lord to render service unto Him, out of spontaneous love for Him, factually assimilates the essence of all knowledge described in the Vedas.
- One who adopts this method very skillfully attains the perfection of life at once. And this perfection of human life is called Brahma-gati, or the progressive march in spiritual existence.
- As enunciated by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī on the basis of Vedic assurances, Brahma-gati means to attain a spiritual form as good as that of the Lord, and in that form, the liberated living being eternally lives on one of the spiritual planets situated in the spiritual sky.
- Attainment of this perfection of life is easily available to a pure devotee of the Lord without his undergoing any difficult method of perfection. Such a devotional life is full of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, īkṣaṇam, etc.
- One must adopt this simple way of devotional life in order to attain the highest perfection available in any category of the human form of life in any part of the world. (Krsna Consciousness is a science)
- Bhakti-yoga is the highest quality of perfection to be achieved by the intelligent person in lieu of performing a large number of spiritual activities.
- A handful of real paddy is more valuable than heaps of paddy skins without any substance within. Similarly, one should not be attracted by the jugglery of karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa or even the gymnastic performances of yoga, but skillfully should take to the simple performances of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, etc., under a bona fide spiritual master, and without any difficulty attain the highest perfection.
- Lord Caitanya made it very simple for all of us. He said simply chant the holy name, dance, and eat prasadam to achieve the highest perfection.
SB 2.4.16 TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The highly intellectual, simply by surrendering unto His lotus feet, are relieved of all attachments to present and future existences and without difficulty progress toward spiritual existence.
CLASS NOTES:
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has repeatedly instructed Arjuna, or for that matter everyone concerned with becoming His unalloyed devotee. In the last phase of His instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.64-66) He instructed most confidentially as follows:
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
iṣṭo ’si me dṛḍham iti
tato vakṣyāmi te hitam
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
ALTERNATE TRANSLATION OF (18.64-66) – “My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me, and therefore only for your good, I will disclose the most secret part of My instructions. It is simply this: become a pure devotee of Mine and give yourself unto Me only, and I promise you full spiritual existence, by which you may gain the eternal right of transcendental loving service unto Me. Just give up all other ways of religiosity and exclusively surrender unto Me and believe that I will protect you from your sinful acts, and I shall deliver you. Do not worry anymore.”
PERSONS WHO ARE INTELLIGENT TAKE SERIOUS NOTICE OF THIS LAST INSTRUCTION OF THE LORD.
Knowledge of the self is the first step in spiritual realization, which is called confidential knowledge, and a step further is God-realization, which is called more confidential knowledge.
The culmination of the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā is God-realization, and when one attains this stage of God-realization, he naturally, voluntarily becomes a devotee of the Lord to render Him loving transcendental service.
THIS DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO THE LORD IS ALWAYS BASED ON LOVE OF GOD AND IS DISTINCT FROM THE NATURE OF ROUTINE SERVICE AS PRESCRIBED IN KARMA-YOGA, JÑĀNA-YOGA OR DHYĀNA-YOGA.
In the Bhagavad-gītā there are different instructions for such men of different categories, and there are various descriptions for varṇāśrama-dharma, sannyāsa-dharma, yati-dharma (ashram monks) , the renounced order of life, controlling the senses, meditation, perfection of mystic powers, etc., but one who fully surrenders unto the Lord to render service unto Him, out of spontaneous love for Him, factually assimilates the essence of all knowledge described in the Vedas.
Example – Boy and girl – love at first sight.. It happens immediately..
In case of devotees – aslisya va pada ratam.. Pinastu mam… adarsanam… marma hatam…
ONE WHO ADOPTS THIS METHOD VERY SKILLFULLY ATTAINS THE PERFECTION OF LIFE AT ONCE.
And this perfection of human life is called Brahma-gati, or the progressive march in spiritual existence. (Even the novices in devotional service experience bliss)
As enunciated by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī on the basis of Vedic assurances, brahma-gati means to attain a spiritual form as good as that of the Lord, and in that form the liberated living being eternally lives on one of the spiritual planets situated in the spiritual sky.
Attainment of this perfection of life is easily available to a pure devotee of the Lord without his undergoing any difficult method of perfection. Such a devotional life is full of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, īkṣaṇam, etc., as mentioned in the previous verse.
One must therefore adopt this simple way of devotional life in order to attain the highest perfection available in any category of the human form of life in any part of the world.
WHEN LORD BRAHMĀ MET LORD KṚṢṆA AS A PLAYFUL CHILD AT VṚNDĀVANA, HE OFFERED HIS PRAYER IN WHICH HE SAID:
Bhakti-yoga is the highest quality of perfection to be achieved by the intelligent person in lieu of performing a large quantity of spiritual activities. The example cited here is very appropriate. A handful of real paddy is more valuable than heaps of paddy skins without any substance within. Similarly, one should not be attracted by the jugglery of karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa or even the gymnastic performances of yoga, but skillfully should take to the simple performances of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, etc., under a bona fide spiritual master, and without any difficulty attain the highest perfection.
Lord Caitanya made it very simple… all these yoga systems, Gnana, Karma Kanda are very difficult. No focus on Krishna, more focus on self-improvement. Major difference bet routine following of karma, gnana, karma kanda…