Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

10.8 to 11 are chatur sloki BG

Ramanujacharya has written this as nutshell of BG and that nomenclature is adopted by subsequent teachers also.

We will see why these verses are so significant in terms of their content and context. 

In context these are the last verses which Krishna gives as instruction and after that Arjuna gives an understanding that is almost conclusive. First chapter when Arjuna speaks he speaks the reason why I don’t want to fight, after that whenever Arjuna has spoken he has spoken to ask questions, this is the only place is BG when Arjuna paraphrases and rephrases his understanding of Krishna’s message, after chatursloki BG comes explanation of position of Krishna by Arjuna. At the end of BG Arjuna said I will fight. This chapter is called Paramam Vachah, I wanted to give Supreme Instruction. In 10.3 He said this knowledge will free from sinful reaction and in 10.7 He said without any doubt one become whole heartedly fixed in Me. Virata Rupa form Arjuna was beholding he has not paraphrased. 

Now let us look at the content:

Flow of chaturshloki, 10.8 gives summary and 9,10 & 11 are elaborating that.

10.8 –those who know I am the source of everything become enlightened (budha) and devoted to me wholeheartedly (bhavasamanvitah)

10.9 –how they become devoted to me

10.10-11 –how they become budha

10.10 –give buddhi-yoga

10.11 –how Krishna gives buddhi

So How a soul when he understands Krishna’s position(10.8) become devoted(10.9) and enlightened (10.10 & 11). So it talks about redirection of heart and head. 

Another perspective:

Flow of chaturshloki

10.8 –Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana

10.9 –Abhidheya, prayojana

10.10-11 –Abhidheya 

CC mentioned Sambandha -> Krishna, abhidheya -> Bahkti, prayojana -> Pream

 

Bg 10.8

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

Word for word: 

aham — I; sarvasya — of all; prabhavaḥ — the source of generation; mattaḥ — from Me; sarvam — everything; pravartate — emanates; iti — thus; matvā — knowing; bhajante — become devoted; mām — unto Me; budhāḥ — the learned; bhāva–samanvitāḥ — with great attention.

Translation: 

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo, so I am the source of everything 

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate, everything emanates from Me.

So it looks like repetition but pravartate is in present tense which means that not only I am the source of everything but also I am maintaining everything. 

So earlier we have discussed there is Theism (creator and controller), Deism (only creator but not the controller), and Atheism (Not creator and controller). But BG tells God is  judge for those who doesn’t wanted Him to interfere and those who turn towards Him He is a person. So He is a source and sustainer.

iti matvā, one who understands this.

What happen to such a person? bhajante māṁ, bhajante is explained in 6.47 so bhajante means devotee whole heartedly offers oneself to Krishna not just ritualistic offering. 

What way the worship is going on? Budhā, intelligent related with Buddha, the enlightened one. 

bhāva-samanvitāḥ, with emotion of the heart. 

So the person will not do ritualistic worship but bhāva-samanvitāḥ one will worship with emotions.

Srila Prabhupada Purport: 

In the Atharva Veda (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad 1.24) it is said, yo brahmāṇaṁ vidadhāti pūrvaṁ yo vai vedāṁś ca gāpayati sma kṛṣṇaḥ: “It was Kṛṣṇa who in the beginning instructed Brahmā in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past.”

So Krishna is the source of all, so what are the alternative sources which people may think of? People may think Brahma is the source, Shiva is the source, which is not fact as stated here.

Then again the Nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (1) says, atha puruṣo ha vai nārāyaṇo ’kāmayata prajāḥ sṛjeyeti: “Then the Supreme Personality Nārāyaṇa desired to create living entities.” The Upaniṣad continues, nārāyaṇād brahmā jāyate, nārāyaṇād prajāpatiḥ prajāyate, nārāyaṇād indro jāyate, nārāyaṇād aṣṭau vasavo jāyante, nārāyaṇād ekādaśa rudrā jāyante, nārāyaṇād dvādaśādityāḥ: “From Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā is born, and from Nārāyaṇa the patriarchs are also born. From Nārāyaṇa, Indra is born, from Nārāyaṇa the eight Vasus are born, from Nārāyaṇa the eleven Rudras are born, from Nārāyaṇa the twelve Ādityas are born.” 

This Nārāyaṇa is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

So when we study scriptures details of process of creation of living entities are given so in the process of creation it is not that every time the same process is followed. There can be variations in different universes. So Krishna need not have to follow the same rigid pattern every time, so here it is said that Shiva came from Narayan and SB says that Shiva came from Brahma so the point is it is Narayan’s arrangement and that Narayan is the original source. So these personalities have not come directly from Lord Narayan but that can also happen in some universe if that is Lord’s will. So SB defines various genealogy but ultimately everything comes from Krishna. 

So it is mentioned ’kāmayata prajāḥ sṛjeyeti, that the Lord desire to create living entity what does it refers to? So we know that souls are eternal so what does it refers here? So this is not referring to spiritual world it is referring to beginning of the universe so those souls who has already come to material world or wanted to come to material world Lord give them body.

SP Purport: It is said in the same Vedas, brahmaṇyo devakī-putraḥ: “The son of Devakī, Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Personality.”

So this is from Narayan Upanishad brahmaṇyo, the Absolute Truth is coming as Devaki Putra. 

SP Purport: Then it is said, eko vai nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśāno nāpo nāgni-somau neme dyāv-āpṛthivī na nakṣatrāṇi na sūryaḥ: “In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality Nārāyaṇa. There was no Brahmā, no Śiva, no water, no fire, no moon, no heaven and earth, no stars in the sky, no sun.” (Mahā Upaniṣad 1.2) In the Mahā Upaniṣad it is also said that Lord Śiva was born from the forehead of the Supreme Lord.

So in the beginning Brahma was not there neśāno, Lord Shiva was not there, nāpo, nāpo there was not water, nāgni there was no fire, na nakṣatrāṇi, there was no stars in the sky, na sūryaḥ, nor sun, dyāv-āpṛthivī, earth was not there, somau moon was not there.

So the point is there was no one there at that time. 

In the Mokṣa-dharma section of the Mahābhārata, Kṛṣṇa also says,

prajāpatiṁ ca rudraṁ cāpy
aham eva sṛjāmi vai
tau hi māṁ na vijānīto
mama māyā-vimohitau

So Krishna is saying rudra and prajāpati, they are all created by Me, but those who do not know this, who do not know Me, what is the status of such a person? mama māyā-vimohitau, people do not know this because they are deluded by maya. 

In the Varāha Purāṇa it is also said,

nārāyaṇaḥ paro devas
tasmāj jātaś caturmukhaḥ
tasmād rudro ’bhavad devaḥ
sa ca sarva-jñatāṁ gataḥ

“Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and from Him Brahmā was born, from whom Śiva was born.”

nārāyaṇaḥ paro devas, Narayan is the Supreme among the gods, 

tasmāj jātaś caturmukhaḥ, from Him born Brahma Ji,

tasmād rudro ’bhavad devaḥ, from him came Rudra 

and Rudra became

sarva-jñatāṁ gataḥ, He became omniscient.

So what is the meaning of Lord Shiva became omniscient? Actually there are levels of omniscience also, Omni normally means all, so how can be there level of omniscience. Vedic universe so subtle so complex so often English vocabulary is not enough to describe the Vedic understanding of existence so the word Omni means all but what does all refers to? Is it all the existence or all universe or all the earthly planetary system or all the earth or what? So Shiva is omniscient within a particular universe. Yamaraj is also omniscient similarly, in a limited sense so it is all within a jurisdiction but only Lord Vishnu who is pervading as Super Soul everywhere is completely omniscient. So partial omniscience is granted based on the portfolio they have to manage. 

So SP’s point that whole BG is pointing to this point which Krishna has said e.g. Matah Parataram Anyat Na Kinchit Asti Dananjayah…there is no truth higher than Me, similarly here ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo, everything come from Me.

Because of our preconception, misconception, misdirection, prejudice and covering self-explanatory meaning of scriptures are covered. These are like clouds which Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has talked about to Srvabhouma Bhattacharya 

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

Is sambandha.

bhajante māṁ is Abhideha, 

bhāva-samanvitāḥ, with emotion is the aspect for Love for Sri Krishna this is Proyojan.

So this way everything is talked about in this verse.

End of transcription.