Verse: Uddhava Gita
Date: May 31st, 2013
Place: Gita Nagri, USA
Hare Krsna. So are you all ready for the next session? Are you all taking notes? Are you enjoying this seminar?
Devotees: Yes.
BCS: So the last chapter we did was the instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Hamsavatara. The Lord, upon Brahma’s prayer, appeared as Hamsavatara and instructed Brahma and his sons: Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara. In the fourteenth chapter, the next chapter describes or Krsna explains the yoga-system to Uddhava. And about what kind of yoga is Krsna speaking here? This is the yoga of devotional service, bhakti-yoga. Krsna explained that the most excellent method of spiritual practice is devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thank you. Can everybody hear me?
Devotees: Yes
BCS: I can see some new faces this morning, this session. Welcome to all of you to this wonderful Gita-Nagari, in this seminar on Lord Krsna’s teachings to Uddhava, which is known as the Uddhava-Gita in the eleventh canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
So in this chapter, the fourteenth chapter of the eleventh canto, Krsna is describing about the process of devotional service as the most excellent way to make spiritual advancement. And he also speaks about the process of meditation. Actually, in this Krsna is instructing upon Uddhava’s inquiry, upon Uddhava’s question. Uddhava asked: “What is the best way of making spiritual advancement?” You remember? In Bhagavad-gita Arjuna also asked Him the same question. Among the personalists and impersonalists, which process is better? And what did Krsna say: “Evam satata-yukta ye bhaktas tvam paryupasate” Then what is the next line? Tesam ke yoga-vittamah The best yoga-vittamah, the best way to become connected to Krsna is ‘evam satata-yukta ye bhaktas tvam paryupasate’. One who is rendering devotional service unto Me constantly, satata-yukta, being constantly engaged, one who is constantly engaged in my devotional service, he is the most intimately connected to Me or that is the best way to become connected to Me: *yoga-vittamah. Here also Uddhava is asking the similar question. Of all these processes, which is the best? And Krsna is pointing out: devotional service is the best.
This is how when we properly study the scriptures, then it becomes very, very clear. Devotional service is the best possible way, not only the best possible way, there is no other way, no other way, no other way… By other means one cannot actually become situated in such loving relationship with Krsna. If the goal of life is to become connected to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then besides devotional service there is no other way. In this Uddhava-Gita we will come at that point when Krsna is saying: “By this process of devotional service Krsna becomes conquered. Krsna becomes sold out. Krsna becomes conquered, Krsna becomes his possession. No other process actually enables that. Here we know, the Uddhava-Gita, are we not getting this point time and time again? Previously also Krsna mentioned: “Sankhya, yoga, charity, austerity, performance of sacrifice, all these are not going to derive the same benefit. Devotional service is THE way. So when Uddhava asked which process of spiritual advancement is the best, then Krsna made it very, very clear. Devotional service is the way.
Krsna explained that this process he gave to Brahma. At the time of annihilation even the knowledge was lost. Not only at the beginning of creation Krsna gave this knowledge. This knowledge gets lost at the time of annihilation and at the beginning of a new creation, when the new creation begins, then Krsna imparts this knowledge to Brahma. Then Brahma gives this knowledge to his eldest son Manu. And Manu spoke this to Brighu Muni. This is the disciplic succession. Our disciplic succession: Brahma, then Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva and so forth. But here Krsna is talking about another process and that process is, this line is: Brahma to Manu, Manu gave it to Brighu Muni. Brighu Muni also is a son of Brahma, Narada’s brother. Ten sons of Brahma: Pulastya, Pulaha, Atri, Marici, Angira, Vasistha, Brighu.
This line is coming from Brighu and Brighu then gave it to the demigods. Brighu then gave it to the sages. And the sages gave it to the demigods.
But another thing happened actually due to this line, due to different individuals developing or receiving this knowledge, they also developed different branches of philosophy. Some are even atheistic philosophy, gross materialistic philosophy. And different philosophies arose, including various atheistic doctrines. Krsna is saying: various atheistic doctrines also developed from this Vedic concept. Therefore there is a need to select. There is a mixture. What we are getting now, is a lot of concepts,
a lot of ideas, a lot of philosophies. Now from this mixture we have to select the right one. Tough job. That’s why the living entities on their own cannot figure out what is the right way. The general tendency is that whatever tends to be a little better, we tend to think: “yes, this is the best.” It may be better than the other but that is not the best. The best one we have to understand from the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That again flows in a specific disciplic succession.
‘Because the living entity bewildered by illusion is incapable of ascertaining his eternal benefit, he mistakenly identifies ordinary vows of penance, austerity etc. to be the topmost spiritual practice.’ This is actually the bewildering aspect. Because the living entities are bewildered themselves. Therefore they cannot figure out what is the actual process to adopt. Because they are deluded they cannot ascertain their eternal benefit. The only true means of achieving happiness is to meditate on offering everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the simple spiritual consideration. Generally people are identifying themselves with their bodies, therefore they think that the goal of life is to enjoy
through this body. If we look at this world today, what do we find? Everywhere we read newspapers, we read books, fictions, we see movies, we see TV’s, all these… What are they broadcasting through these media? They are simply broadcasting to enjoy. And that enjoyment also is a very gross form of enjoyment. Sinful enjoyment.
What is being broadcast all over is a promotion of sinful enjoyment: meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex and gambling. Mostly, mainly illicit sex. That is what is being promoted all over the world. But when we step into the spiritual realm, when we come across a bonafide spiritual teacher, what does he tell us? Like Prabhupada, what is the qualification to enter into spiritual life? Four regulative principles. No to all those sinful activities. Today the world is saying those four activities are the most important activities. And Iskcon is saying no to these four activities. And yes to everything else. We have only four no’s. Otherwise everything is yes. No meat eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling. Otherwise everything is all right, provided you engage them in service to Krsna.
So offering the goal of life is to do everything for Krsna, offer everything to Krsna because He is the Proprietor. isavasyam idam sarvam yat kiñca jagatyam jagat*. A very, very simple understanding. Everything belongs to Krsna. And not that He is the…, although He is the Supreme Enjoyer but He is also taking care of us. Yat kiñca jagatyam jagat. He is taking care of everybody. He is giving everybody his quota. Whatever we need, Krsna has provided. In this way Krsna is the suhrdam sarva bhutanam. When we enter into the platform of devotional service and receive knowledge, the proper information, then what do we get to see? Immediately we get to see that Krsna is the Enjoyer. At the same time Krsna is providing for everybody... Krsna is the Supreme Master, at the same time He is the dear most Friend. Now we can understand this concept from our relationships with our seniors like the father. In the house the father is the proprietor but the father is taking care of everybody’s need in the house. So the father is not an irresponsible enjoyer. The father is the care taker. On our part we know that he is the enjoyer. But the father is not demanding: “I am the enjoyer. Do everything for me.” The father’s caring attitude is: “What do you need? He does not even have to ask. And we do not even have to tell. He knows what we need. Even better than we do. The child does not know that he needs to go to a private school. He does not even know the difference between a public school and a private school, or a good school and a bad school. But the father says: “Okay, he should go in such and such school.” And in order to do that… I was talking to some parents the other day. In order to send the child to a private school the mother decided to take up a job. The father’s income was not enough to send the child to a private school. So the mother took up a job.
(Jaya Sri Sri Radha-Damodara Ki Jaya! Jaya Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai Ki Jaya!)
So Krsna’s attitude is something like that. Or not something like that, from that we can see what Krsna’s attitude must be towards the living entities. Krsna is THE Father, the Supreme Father of all living entities. And therefore He is taking care of everyone. He sees what is the need of different living entities. And therefore He takes care of them. Even before the living entities can consider or understand. So when we have a Father like that, when we have a Master like that, when we have a Friend like Him, why should we worry? Isn’t it natural that we should surrender to Him? And that is the beginning of devotional service. Just surrender unto Krsna. “Mam ekam saranam vraja”. And what does that devotional service do? It destroys the countless sinful reactions of the living entity. The moment the living entity accepts this process of devotional service it immediately destroys his mountainous sinful reactions, which is otherwise impossible to get rid of. Like yesterday we considered one example: “A seed giving rise to a tree, a tree producing fruits, the fruits have seeds, in those seeds there are innumerable trees, in each tree there are innumerable seeds and possibility of trees. And Prabhupada pointed out our karmic reaction is like that. Once I asked Srila Prabhupada about karmic reactions and Prabhupada pointed out it is extremely complex. And Prabhupada gave this example. This is how complex our karmic reactions are. Just one little karma can tie us up eternally. How will you get rid of it? But Krsna consciousness destroys all these karmic reactions. As Krsna said: “Aham tvam sarva papebhyo, sarva papebhyo I will deliver you from all your sinful reactions. karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam. “Nirdahati” burnt out. This is also another consideration. If you cut the tree, “You may say: “I cut the tree.” If you cut the tree, again there is the possibility of branches growing or seeds falling on the ground. But if all the seeds are burnt out, you fry the seeds, you roast the seeds, they won’t germinate. So that is what Krsna consciousness does. It burns out all the sinful reactions.
So this way we can see that Krsna consciousness in one hand frees us from all our karmic reactions and offers us a wonderful possibility of developing our loving relationship with Krsna. And this loving relationship is the source of joy. This is an important thing to remember. That love and joy are interlinked. And attraction and love are interlinked. Do you love somebody who is not attractive to you? Attraction leads to love. And love is the basis of joy. In the material platform people try to derive joy from these loving exchanges. They derive some joy but that joy is temporary. But the real joy is derived from developing our loving relationship with Krsna. We love Krsna, the result is joy. And the question is: “Why love Krsna? “ Because you won’t be able to help it. Because He is all attractive. Attraction, love, joy. Now say Krsna is all-attractive. So this is how this is undoubtedly the best possible, spiritual process. Because the devotee is very close to the Lord and he is able to purify the entire universe. Krsna is making this point. ‘Because the devotee of the Lord is very dear to the Lord and very close to the Lord, therefore he is able to purify the whole world, the whole universe. Do you have to go very far? Srila Prabhupada. What did he do? He purified the whole universe. How did he do it? Because he carries the power, because he is dear to Krsna. As a matter of fact, what Krsna does not do, his devotee does. Krsna does not go out of his way to purify somebody. Do you remember, probably, I mentioned that yesterday by quoting Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur: “If Krsna purified somebody and Krsna did not purify somebody else, then Krsna would be considered to be partial. Therefore Krsna says: “Okay, I won’t do it. I am neutral, it is up to you.” But Krsna’s devotees go out of their way to purify others. And when one wants to do that, then Krsna empowers him. That’s the wonderful thing. Krsna empowers the devotee when the devotee wants to preach, when a devotee wants to sanctify others, when a devotee wants to propagate Krsna’s glory everywhere, then Krsna empowers him, Krsna facilitates him. Devotee desires and Krsna fulfills his desires. Another important point Krsna is making in this chapter, is that at the beginning if a devotee is not able to purify himself completely, at the beginning if the devotee is lacking, still Krsna will help him to make advancement. At the beginning one may fail to execute devotional service properly. Krsna will help him to gain control over his senses. Krsna will help him to become capable. Again we can go back to that relationship between father and child. If the child makes some mistakes in his early age, does the father reject the child? What does the father do? He helps him to correct himself. Don’t you see father and mother acting when