19870726 Bhagavad-gītā 12.5

 The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on July 26^th 1987 at Trivandrum, India. The class begins from a reading from the Bhagavad-gītā 12.5.

*This lecture has side-by-side translation in Malayalam*

Text 5

kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

Translation: For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

Purport: The group of transcendentalists who follow the path of the inconceivable, unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord are called jñāna-yogīs, and persons who are in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in devotional service to the Lord, are called bhakti-yogīs. Now, here the difference between jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga is definitely expressed. The process of jñāna-yoga, although ultimately bringing one to the same goal, is very troublesome, whereas the path of bhakti-yoga, the process of being in direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is easier and is natural for the embodied soul. The individual soul is embodied since time immemorial. It is very difficult for him to simply theoretically understand that he is not the body. Therefore, the Bhakti-yogī accepts the Deity of Kṛṣṇa as worshipable because there is some bodily conception fixed in the mind, which can thus be applied. Of course, worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form within the temple is not idol worship. There is evidence in the Vedic literature that worship may be saguṇa and nirguṇa — of the Supreme possessing or not possessing attributes. Worship of the Deity in the temple is saguṇa worship, for the Lord is represented by material qualities. But the form of the Lord, though represented by material qualities such as stone, wood or oil paint, is not actually material. That is the absolute nature of the Supreme Lord.

A crude example may be given here. We may find some mailboxes on the street, and if we post our letters in those boxes, they will naturally go to their destination without difficulty. But any old box, or an imitation which we may find somewhere but which is not authorized by the post office, will not do the work. Similarly, God has an authorized representation in the Deity form, which is called arcā-vigraha. This arcā-vigraha is an incarnation of the Supreme Lord. God will accept service through that form. The Lord is omnipotent, all-powerful; therefore, by His incarnation as arcā-vigraha He can accept the services of the devotee, just to make it convenient for the man in conditioned life.

So for a devotee there is no difficulty in approaching the Supreme immediately and directly, but for those who are following the impersonal way to spiritual realization the path is difficult. They have to understand the unmanifested representation of the Supreme through such Vedic literatures as the Upaniṣads, and they have to learn the language, understand the nonperceptual feelings, and realize all these processes. This is not very easy for a common man. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaged in devotional service, simply by the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, simply by offering regulative obeisances unto the Deity, simply by hearing the glories of the Lord, and simply by eating the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord, realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very easily. There is no doubt that the impersonalists are unnecessarily taking a troublesome path with the risk of not realizing the Absolute Truth at the ultimate end. But the personalist, without any risk, trouble or difficulty, approaches the Supreme Personality directly. A similar passage appears in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is stated there that if one ultimately has to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead (this surrendering process is called bhakti), but instead takes the trouble to understand what is Brahman and what is not Brahman and spends his whole life in that way, the result is simply troublesome. Therefore it is advised here that one should not take up this troublesome path of self-realization, because there is uncertainty in the ultimate result.

A living entity is eternally an individual soul, and if he wants to merge into the spiritual whole, he may accomplish the realization of the eternal and knowledgeable aspects of his original nature, but the blissful portion is not realized. By the grace of some devotee, such a transcendentalist, highly learned in the process of jñāna-yoga, may come to the point of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. At that time, long practice in impersonalism also becomes a source of trouble, because he cannot give up the idea. Therefore an embodied soul is always in difficulty with the unmanifest, both at the time of practice and at the time of realization. Every living soul is partially independent, and one should know for certain that this unmanifested realization is against the nature of his spiritual blissful self. One should not take up this process. For every individual living entity the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which entails full engagement in devotional service, is the best way. If one wants to ignore this devotional service, there is the danger of turning to atheism. Thus the process of centering attention on the unmanifested, the inconceivable, which is beyond the approach of the senses, as already expressed in this verse, should never be encouraged at any time, especially in this age. It is not advised by Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Thus end the purport and translation to the Text 5 of Chapter 12, Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Kṛṣṇa is basically answering the question that Arjuna asks in the first verse of the 12^th chapter. Arjuna wanted to know which path is more perfect. He asks, “Those who are always engaged in their devotional service properly or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested? (12.1)” So Kṛṣṇa, in the second verse He states that those who fix their minds on His personal form and worship Him with great faith are considered to be the most perfect. So He very clearly gives His opinion. “He is the most intimately united with me, those who are worshiping me in bhakti-yoga.” Then someone may say that why does Kṛṣṇa mention about jñāna-yoga  in 6^th chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā and in other places? It because some people will not take to bhakti-yoga due to their own personality problem. If someone is unable to bow down before the Lord or accept the form of Bhagavān as supreme, it is difficult to perform bhakti-yoga. So as an alternative, there is jñāna-yoga. And verses 3 and 4 of this chapter, Kṛṣṇa explains that by performing jñāna-yoga eventually one will become will achieve Kṛṣṇa. This is also explained in other part of Bhagavad-gītā (7.19) that:

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

After many many births the jñāna-yogīs can achieve Kṛṣṇa So this is also a bonafide process, it’s not that jñāna-yoga is not a bonafide process. But why Kṛṣṇa doesn’t recommend jñāna-yoga? That is mentioned in the verse we read today. It’s very difficult to practice jñāna-yoga. ‘Kleśo ’dhika-taras teṣām.’ Adhika kleśa, excessive suffering you have to undergo to do jñāna-yoga. Just like, if you want to do padayātrā from Trivandrum to Delhi, you can do. It’s one of the ways to go to Delhi. But it takes a long time and you must undergo some hardship. You can also direct get Indian Airline flight and you can reach Delhi in about 2-3 hours. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He’s giving you free ticket by airline back to Kṛṣṇa, (laughter) on the Bhakti Airline. (laughter) But if you want to go walking by jñāna-yoga, you can go. But it’s not recommended because you’ll have to face too many difficulties.

In previous ages the situation was different, that you could peacefully meditate, so jñāna-yoga was more possible at that time. But now the atmosphere is very disturbed. And the people are also not capable of doing so many austerities. It’s very hard for them to leave hearth and home and family. And according to the jñāna-yoga system, unless you take sannyāsa you cannot achieve mokṣa. Śankarācārya never said that a gṛhastha can achieve mokṣa according to his system. But according to the bhakti-yoga system, even a gṛhastha can achieve liberation. So many examples are there of that. That does not mean that sannyāsīs do not also practice bhakti-yoga. There are many sannyāsīs – Madhvā, Rāmānuja and other ācāryas, they all practiced bhakti-yoga. But there are also many gṛhastha-ācāryas who had practiced and achieved perfection in bhakti-yoga. So even Mahārāja Khatvāṅga, he could achieve perfection in bhakti-yoga in one moment. Even Ajāmila could achieve perfection in one chanting of Nārāyaṇa’s name. In Guruvayur, the elephant Keśava, he could achieve perfection by bhakti-yoga. This is the special feature of bhakti-yoga, that it is very sublime and it is practical to practice for everyone. But the difference is bhakti-yoga means we have to give our self, thought-word-and-deed, to serving the Lord. Dedication is required. Although the process is very natural, but sincerity and dedication is a must. Therefore many big jñāna-yogīs, they’re not able to perform bhakti-yoga even though they try. Because although they can do austerities, they are not able to dedicate themselves in that whole hearted manner. Many ladies, because they could dedicate themselves to the Lord, even though they took birth as women, they could achieve full bhakti, they could achieve the complete perfection. So sometimes the man, they’re too proud. They don’t like to bow down to Bhagavān. And because sometimes the women are humbler, they don’t mind bowing down before God. So they take to bhakti-yoga very easily. But those men who are very intelligent and have understood that there is one Supreme Power, they don’t mind bowing down before the Supreme Powerful. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He came here to Trivandrum and He bowed down before the deity of Padmanābha. All the great ācāryas – Madhvā, Rāmānuja, Nimbārka, Viṣṇuswami and others, they bowed down before the Lord.

Just like president of India, if he wants he can free someone from the prison by giving order. He has the power. When someone has the death sentence, if he wants he can commutate and lift it. So in the ancient tradition, the Vedic tradition, the head of the state or king used to be the representative of God - Nara-deva. So that system is still coming down, although now there is no king in power in India. There’s president, but similar function he has. He can pardon. He can grant forgiveness, “Alright you are free.” Similarly Kṛṣṇa, if He wants, He can free anyone from this material entanglement. Lord Śiva said that only Kṛṣṇa is known as Mukunda because He’s the only one who can give liberation. And this is mentioned in the Varāha Purāṇa:

nayāmi paramaṁ sthānam
arcir-ādi-gatiṁ vinā
garuḍa-skandham āropya
yatheccham anivāritaḥ

The purport of this verse is that a devotee does not need to practice eightfold aṣṭāṅga-yoga to go to the spiritual planets. The Lord himself takes the responsibility to bring His devotee back. He comes on His carrier Garuḍa and takes the devotee out of the material existence. Is there anyone; even the Olympics swimming champion, if you put him in the middle of the Pacific Ocean can he swim out? Thousand and thousands of miles… how can he do it? But if Kṛṣṇa comes and picks him out of the water, where is the difficulty? If we try to get out of the material world by own endeavour it’s very difficult, but Kṛṣṇa can pick us up easily.

So normally it’s hard for people to get bhakti because of having a very hard heart. In this age our heart is just hard like a rock. So when we hear the glories of the Lord, we can’t feel of any love for Him, because of the rock heart. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, His mercy is by giving this process of chanting. Giving the process of chanting:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

One’s heart, even if it’s like a stone, melts very quickly. And one can feel bliss, or ecstasy, in serving Kṛṣṇa. Then it’s very easy to approach the Supreme Lord. But it’s not easy by any other process. So that’s why I said earlier that Caitanya Mahāprabhu in fact is giving the free ticket by bhakti-vimāna, Bhakti Airline, back to Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can take the ticket, simply you have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the fuel for the jet. And everyone in the jet are very nice people, so you don’t have any difficulty. But when you take off in the aeroplane, in the beginning it says ‘No smoking’, ‘Fasten seat belt’. (laughing) So this is such a quick journey back to Godhead that in the beginning there’s some restriction there, just for take-off. Because if take off is okay, if you already arrived. So the sign is coming there, ‘No illicit sex or no prostitution’, ‘No gambling’, ‘No slaughtering of innocent animals’, and ‘No drug addiction and drinking of alcohol and things’. So there few restrictions are there for this vimāna, but then you can immediately arrive to a blissful life. Then you see one doesn't feel any difficulty at all, because one is getting directly happiness from the Lord. Of course if one practices jñāna-yoga, the same restrictions are there. Or any form of yoga. These restrictions and many more restrictions also may be there. But these are common to all bona fide yogas. Is there any yoga that says ‘Do yoga and take drugs’? Or do gambling or any of these things. These are not permitted in any bona fide form of yoga.

The difference is that in bhakti-yoga there are many natural activities which one can perform, which are very easy to do. The women can cook the food in home and that is also a bhakti-yoga meditation. Everyone is cooking food in their house. Some are cooking to feed their self, and some are cooking to feed the Lord. So those who eat to feed themself, Bhagavad-gītā says they have to take sinful reaction. But those who eat the remnants of sacrifice, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, they get purified from all sins. So everyone is cooking, simply little change is needed and the cooking can become nectar. Cooking of sāttvika food and offering to Kṛṣṇa according to instructions of guru. So in this way, even a woman cooking in the kitchen, they’re performing bhakti-yoga. And when you eat prasādam, that’s also bhakti-yoga. Who is there who doesn't like to eat? Or who is there who can live without eating? But if you eat prasādam, it’s bhakti-yoga meditation. So who would not like this meditation? If you don’t perform the meditation, you’ll be eating simply bad karma. You see that’s why the aṣṭāṅga-yogīs, they eventually stop eating and just breathe. Just they live by breathing, otherwise it’s bringing some karma. But even they stop eating and just breathe, still that is not removing previous karmas. But by eating prasādam not only are you not getting more karma, but you’re purifying yourself from previous karma! And when you offer to Kṛṣṇa, He’s very kind. He leaves something on the plate for you to take afterwards.

Except one time He didn't leave anything on the plate. You may note that near Jagannātha Purī there is a temple of Viṣṇu called Alālanātha. Four handed Viṣṇu form of stone Deity, about 2 meters height. This was the temple that Lord Caitanya used to visit when Jagannātha Purī temple was closed for 15 days a year. This deity is having one mark on the side of the body. Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked how this damage has come to the deity? Like a blister, some bubble type. So they told this story of this deity from the previous ages. The brāhmaṇa pūjārī of the deity one time left, and he told his small five-year-old son, “You do the deity worship while I’m gone. You take the food to Kṛṣṇa and offer it to Him and He will eat it. Then you bring back the plate to your mother.” So the boy, He would take that food, the offering plate from his mother and he took it to the temple. Put the plate in front of the deity, said the mantra his father taught him and stood there and started to cry. He was crying and crying. Tears are pouring down. He’s a small child.

So the deity spoke "Why are you crying?”

He said, "You are not eating. My father told me to offer you the food and you would eat it, but you’re not eating! So you have not accepted my offering." He’s crying *imitating child crying* (laughter)

So Kṛṣṇa says in Gītā (4.11): "ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy ahaṁ - According to how someone has faith in Me, I reciprocate with them.” Since this little boy, he had complete faith in the deity that he’d eat the offering, so Kṛṣṇa fulfilled his desire, He got off His āsana, and He sat down and took the offering. Then He returned back to siṁhāsana and *boom* became stone again. So the little boy took again the plate back to his mother.

The mother said, “Where is the prasādam?”

“The deity ate it.”

She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t say anything. She thought ‘Maybe the boy is stealing it or what?’ She didn’t know. So this is going on for some time, while the father was out. When the father came back, the mother explained to him what is happening, that the boy is coming back with the empty plate. “He says that the Lord is eating it. I don’t know if he is stealing it and lying? But he’s a good boy. I can’t understand what is happening.”

So the father, he said, “Well I’ll go in the temple and hide and see what is actually happening.”

The father hid in the back of the temple. He didn’t want to be seen. He hid behind so he could see what was happening. He heard the boy ask the Lord to come and take the food. Waited a few minutes. Gradually, he looked to see what was happening. Suddenly there he saw, the Lord was sitting down eating the offering! “Ohhhh!” He choked. He couldn't help himself, he was so shocked to see that! That sound suddenly startled the Lord. (laughing) Then he jumped up back to His āsana. But some pāyasam, some hot pāyasam just hit this part of His chest before He turned back to stone. So that left a mark. That mark was seen by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So even the deity if He wants, he can eat the offering. Normally simply by seeing he accepts the offering. In the Brahma-saṁhitā, it describes that the Lord does not have material body, His body is spiritual.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
(Bs. 5.1)

He’s sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, form of eternal blissful knowledge. Its also mentioned that He has ‘sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti’. That each sense can perform the function of all the other senses. He can eat by seeing, He can smell with His finger. Any sense can do all of the function of all the senses. He’s not limited like we are limited, with this material body. So in this way, the Lord is very nice. If you offer the prasādam, He leaves the prasādam, although He accepts it!

So eating prasādam, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, reading the Bhagavad-gītā and serving Kṛṣṇa, these are the processes recommended. This is the process which is easy to perform and joyfully performed Process of jñāna-yoga is dry and it is very difficult to perform in this day and age. Although one can practice if they want but who’ll take the risk? When you’re getting the free ticket on the bhakti-vimāna, so why do you want to walk all the way? This is not only going to Delhi. This is a very long distance to work. There are Himalaya Mountains in between the place we have to go. (laughter) So chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and be happy!

Hare Kṛṣṇa!