Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

Bg 8.27

naite sṛtī pārtha jānan
yogī muhyati kaścana
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
yoga-yukto bhavārjuna

Word for word: 

na — never; ete — these two; sṛtī — different paths; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; jānan — even if he knows; yogī — the devotee of the Lord; muhyati — is bewildered; kaścana — any; tasmāt — therefore; sarveṣu kāleṣu — always;yoga–yuktaḥ — engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; bhava — just become; arjuna — O Arjuna.

Translation: 

Although the devotees know these two paths, O Arjuna, they are never bewildered. Therefore be always fixed in devotion.

 

naite sṛtī pārtha jānan, so sṛtī is different path naite, these two different path even if one knows, yogī muhyati kaścana, , yogī is not muhyati, yogi is not bewildered, therefore what one should do tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu, yoga-yukto bhavārjuna, O Arjuna practice the path of yoga. Now what is the practice of Yoga? We had seen in 6th chapter that Sri Krishna has emphasised that ultimately the best Yoga is the Yoga of bhakti, so when one practices Bhakti Yoga one will make best tangible advancement, one will go rapidly back to Krishna. Yogi nam api servesam Mad Gatir Antar Atmana Sradhavan Bhajate Yo Mam Same Yukta Tamo Matah, Sri Krishna has told in 6.47 the climax of the 6th chapter the best Yogi is one you remembers Krishna and returns back to Krishna therefore one should focus on is remembrance of Krishna. And yoga-yukto bhavārjuna means Krishna is telling Arjuna be connected with Yoga don’t bother about all this, what will happen, what will happen just do what you can, and what you can do is stay connected in yoga and the yoga Krishna will recommend ultimately, we will see that Krishna will not recommend Himself directly explicitly over here, but the general instruction is actually as contrasted with Devayan and Pitriyan and the whole processes by which one has to time one’s departure and go back is far easier if one stays in the path of yoga and the best way of staying in the path of yoga is by connecting oneself with the Absolute Truth in devotion, the personal absolute truth i.e. by practicing devotional service, by remembering Sri Krishna. So Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport, and Srila Prabhupada writes elsewhere also that devotees doesn’t have to worry too much sometimes we have fear that I tried to practice Krishna Consciousness and I am trying to remember Krishna but what if I die suddenly in accident or die suddenly if I get heart attack and there is no one around me and what if I don’t remember Krishna at that time what will happen then, so devotees should not be afraid of these things because Krishna is there and Krishna will take care of devotee. Srila Baldeva Vidya Bhusan quotes in his Govinda Bhasys, that actually he quotes probably from Vaman Purana that Krishna Loves His devotees so much that Sri Krishna gives His remembrance to His devotees and no matter what a material circumstances for a devotee, Krishna helps a devotee to remember Him. So we may not be able to remember Krishna but Sri Krishna remember us, Krishna will remember the Bhakti that we have performed and based on that Bhakti He will give the result. So even in traditional Vedic culture there is concept of good death and bad death there are various concern like that if someone dies suddenly, and someone dies at certain time that is concerned unholy, so in traditional vedic societies when people have to dies they will leave the world, how they will leave the world? They will leave the cities where they are staying and they will go to Kashi or they will go to Vrindavan and when they are going only their relatives and friends come and meet them and they know this person is now departing and he is not going to come back, this person is going to die and relatives will come and they will offer obeisances, this is not for devotees families, this is observed in traditional vedic families so it is not that person is going to suicide after coming to holy place the but he will live a simple life and wait for his death so in these places there are centres where people can go and stay and focus exclusively on remembrance of Krishna and do devotional service, so while they are departing other people come and beg forgiveness, if I have offended you please forgive me, and then there is tearful last meeting and then the person leaves so the idea is in the Vedic culture it is recognised that one should prepare oneself to remember Sri Krishna and the holy places offers one of the best possible settings for remembering Sri Krishna. So when Sri Krishna is saying that Yogis are not bewildered that doesn’t mean that we should rely only on Sri Krishna’s guarantee Oh Krishna will take care of me I don’t have to do anything, no, we have to do something, what is that we have to do? As Sri Krishna says in this verse we also have to as Krishna says in this verse yoga-yukto bhavārjuna, we have to stay connected with Krishna if we are diligently doing devotional service then we don’t have to bother about what will be exact moment when death will come what will happen to me when I will die, no I don’t have to bother about that but what I do have to bother about is how am I doing what I can do, see when we do what we can do then Krishna will do what we can’t do also but when we worry about what I can’t do, like we can’t time our death, we don’t have control over that, but when we do what we can do, Sri Krishna will do what we can’t do, and in that way there will be human and divine cooperation so as Srila Prabhupada says a devotees chants Hare Krishna and fixed in Krishna Consciousness Process and without bothering too much about death, devotees should keep practicing we see the example of Srila Prabhupada that Prabhupada was 69 when he travelled to America, he could have practices Bhakti Yoga remaining in Vrindavan where he was before going to USA but he wanted to carry blessings of Vrindavan for everyone that is why he went to all over the world and preached, and helped them to come to Vrindavan with Vrindavan Consciousness through cultivation of Krishna consciousness and end of his life he returned back to Krishna, now Srila Prabhupada wanted to instruct his disciple how they can pass life’s final exam. So as a devotee we have to arrange our life in such a way that as we grow older we intensify our devotional service, but focus in our life is not only preparation for death our focus is more on development of love and when we develop love for Krishna other things will be automatically taken care of we will be able to remember Krishna is all stage which Krishna will assure in next verse.

End of transcription.