Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 18.63

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhya-taraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru

Synonyms: 

iti — thus; te — unto you; jñānam — knowledge; ākhyātam — described; guhyāt — than confidential; guhya–taram — still more confidential; mayā — by Me; vimṛśya — deliberating; etat — on this; aśeṣeṇa — fully; yathā— as; icchasi — you like; tathā — that; kuru — perform.

Translation: 

Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ, ākhyātaṁ, I have spoken this. 

And what kind of knowledge is this? guhyād guhya-taraṁ mayā

Guhyād is confidential, guhya-taraṁ is most confidential 

Now after this what Arjuna should do?

vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa, vimṛś is absorption, contemplation, serious intellectual thought about it, aśeṣeṇa may read thoroughly, think seriously, think deeply don’t relive any stone unturned 

yathecchasi tathā kuru, yatha + ecchasi, as is your desire, tathā kuru, so you can act.

So as discussed earlier BG doesn’t give commandments it give choices. 

So BG has said act for the pleasure of Krishna that is what BG message is, act for the pleasure of Krishna, it is indirectly mentioned in the previous verse tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha, but BG does not impose this message it says this is the message I told it to you and if it makes sense you act accordingly otherwise you have the free will and you can choose how you wanted to act. So that freedom Krishna never takes away from us, Krishna always give us freedom of how we may wanted to act. 

Example, a child may be having 1000 rupee note, he may not understand the value of it, he may wanted to give this 1000 rupee for a chocolate which is worth just 10 rupee say, so the parent doesn’t want to take away 1000 rupee from the child they wanted to guide the child properly, use it properly then you can get much more. 

So Krishna doesn’t deprive us from our freedom but we should not deprive ourselves in the name of freedom. In the name of freedom the child will not use 1000 rupee note properly. 

Similarly human body is Sudurlabham, very rare. Also it is temporary but arth dam, it is truly valuable it can grant us Paramartha, the Supreme destination. 

So by this verse more and less Krishna has completed the instructions. So the onus has now shifted to Arjuna and Srila Viswanathan Chakravarty Pad has described that Arjuna has gone in deep thought thinking what should I do? There was so much that has been spoken and analyzed so Arjuna was in grave thought. And seeing this Krishna’s heart overflows with compassion, Krishna then told Arjuna, Arjuna you don’t have to think so deeply about this I see your sincerity I know you are not whimsical you are not independent you have faith on Me so I will guide you what to do, then that guidance Krishna provides in the next verse. 

Here the word aśeṣeṇa means Krishna is telling Arjuna you can contemplate as long as you want but there is an implication also how long can you contemplate. A living entity is contemplating what can give me happiness from lifetime after lifetime but has come to false conclusions. 

So when Arjuna was deep in contemplation and not able to decide Krishna makes thing even clearer.

End of transcription.