Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

  • 1-9: From Arurukshato (beginning stage) To Arudha stage (advance Stage) (Advancement in astang yoga)

 

Then Sri Krishna describes in the next verse how such a person is situated what is the vision of such a person

 

Bg 6.8

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā
kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ
yukta ity ucyate yogī
sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ

Word for word: 

jñāna — by acquired knowledge; vijñāna — and realized knowledge; tṛpta — satisfied; ātmā — a living entity; kūṭa–sthaḥ — spiritually situated; vijita–indriyaḥ — sensually controlled; yuktaḥ — competent for self-realization; iti — thus; ucyate — is said; yogī — a mystic; sama — equipoised; loṣṭra — pebbles; aśma — stone; kāñcanaḥ — gold.

Translation: 

A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogī [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything – whether it be pebbles, stones or gold – as the same.

 

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā, One who has got knowledge, Gyana and realization, Vijyana, such a person become Satisfied, Triptatma. Such a person is kūṭa-stho, means spiritually situated not materially disturbed, vijitendriyaḥ, that person has conquered the senses and yukta, well situated, connected, Srila Prabhupada write competent for self-realization, ity ucyate yogī and that person is having equal vision to material things. sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ, that person is having equal vision to what all things? Lostra is pebbles asma is stones and kāñcanaḥ is gold so from material point of view gold is precious, gold is invaluable whereas stone is not of much value, its value is less, then how come somebody see gold and stone equally? What it means is one doesn’t imagine that worldly things will make me happy, one understand that for me as soul neither gold not stone matters, neither of them can make me happy they are both material where as I am spiritual and the person who is spiritual cannot be satisfied by anything material that is why the person becomes detached, sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ. 

Srila Prabhupad writes:  Book knowledge without realization of the Supreme Truth is useless.

 

Useless in terms of? It will not bring satisfaction, it will not bring transformation, it will not bring purification, it is useless and Srila Prabhupad quotes famous verse from NOD: 

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

 

So the name and other paraphernalia will not bhaved grāhyam, grāhyam means to be accepted to be understood indriyaiḥ, the gross senses, materially contaminated senses cannot understand this na bhaved, but sevonmukhe hi jihvādau, ādau is in the beginning, jihvā, so service Seva will begin with Jihva then what happens with this Jihva? We become Unmukh, we are all currently Vemukh from Sri Krishna, our face is not towards Krishna our face is away from Sri Krishna so by rendering service to Sri Krishna and with consciousness that Krishna I wanted to come closer to you, so service will change our orientation 180 degrees from Vimkukh to Unmukh, and when we will do this for Krishna then Sri Krishna by His free will, svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ, spontaneous remembrance Sri Krishna will give us that is very absorbing there is Smaran and there is sphuraty, Smaran means we are consciously trying to cultivate remembrance of Sri Krishna and that is part of our Sadhana Bhakti, Smaran is one of the limbs of devotional service, so we consciously strive to remember Sri Krishna this is what I should do, this is what I should do, so smaranam is we are trying to cultivate remembrance of Sri Krishna, sphuraty means Sri Krishna Himself gives the remembrance and when that happens it is like wave of spiritual thoughts that takes us rapidly close to Sri Krishna, so smaranam is we are trying to move to a particular destination by swimming in an ocean and sphuraty means a waves come and takes us suddenly in that direction, so we do service we chant holy name that is how we try to remember Sri Krishna that is Sadhana Bhakti but when Sri Krishan becomes pleased by our endeavour He will send a wave so that is sphuraty, when the wave comes we just propelled towards Sri Krishna so far more rapidly than by our own conscious effort, so this is how Sri Krishna reveals Himself, so connection of this with the  verse the Sri Krishna says the real understanding of Himself come with Vigyana and when we realise the sweetness of Sri Krishna we become Triupta so otherwise just by gyana things are theoretical, I am not the body I am the soul actually spiritual happiness is far greater then the material happiness but I feel as material happiness only far greater spiritual happiness is not there only that way we will not be satisfied we will not be trupta we will be restless. So actually we have to turn inwards when we turn inwards then we move forwards towards Sri Krishan, how we turn inwards is by practice of devotional service, when we turn inwards we relish and then we become trupta, jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā, when there is only gyana no vijñāna there is no Trupti and we are dragged towards sense gratification and when there is no Vijayan then not only there is no realisation but doubts also comes up.

 

Srila Prabhupad Writes: By transcendental knowledge one can remain steady in his convictions, but by mere academic knowledge one can be easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions.

 

So by transcendental knowledge Srila Prabhupad means by realized knowledge, one can remain steady in his convictions, because there is higher reality which is perceived then our consciousness becomes elevated, but by mere academic knowledge, I just know this thing this thing these are simple dry fact we have not got any rasa then what happens is one is easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions.

So now jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā such a person sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ

Srila Prabhupada explains: For him mundane scholarship and mental speculation, which may be as good as gold to others, are of no greater value than pebbles or stones.

 

So somebody may be having one PHD, 2 PhD so these are like golds people spend years and years to get these degrees at one level a person really required hard work and diligence to get those degrees, to that extent that can be valued but we have to understand that just academic scholarship doesn’t equate to spiritual advancement, a devotee understand the difference between material knowledge and spiritual advancement a devotees understand these degrees as stones as it cannot provide real happiness .

 

Materialistic perspective: Gold is very valuable and stone doesn’t have any value.

 

Gyanai’s perspective: neither has any value

 

Devotee’s perspective: whatever can be used in Sri Krishna’s service a devotees values that

 

Vrindavan temple Construction cements were not available so devotees felt that SP was treating cement bags as gold bags, why? SP was a sanyasi but SP saw that cement is essential for the service of Sri Krishna, building a temple for Sri Krishna therefore he valued it.

So what Srila Prabhupada focused was devotional utility the devotional potential, so for devotees for one’s own sack neither gold nor stone matters but for Krishna’s perspective even Stone can matter as gold that is transcendental perspective.

 

So in this verse in BG: One who understand spiritual reality, is situated in spiritual reality by knowledge and by realisation that person knows nothing material can make me happy and therefore that person stays equipoised and will be unaffected by anything material and sees everything as materially equally.

 

6th Chapter takes about Astanga Yoga, so we are moving from Yoga Aruruksha to Aruda stage, i.e. from the beginning to the advanced stage and what essentially differentiates in the beginning and the advanced stage is not just externals. Externals there is difference Aruryoksha Munair Yogam Karma Karanam Muniuchyate, in initial stage Karma i.e. activities is the advancement and Yoga Rudha Simastaiva Karnam Uchate, in 6.3 Krishna says when we become Arudha we give up work, but that is not the essential difference it is not that just by giving up work one will become Yoga Rurksha to Yoga Arudha, what makes the difference is the control of the mind, the capacity to become equipoised towards external things, we discussed how mind can act as enemy and how yogis bring mind under control, so we will discuss more about Gyana Vigyan Triptatma in 6.8 then move forward…

 

Bg 6.8

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā
kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ
yukta ity ucyate yogī
sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ

Word for word: 

jñāna — by acquired knowledge; vijñāna — and realized knowledge; tṛpta — satisfied; ātmā — a living entity; kūṭa–sthaḥ — spiritually situated; vijita–indriyaḥ — sensually controlled; yuktaḥ — competent for self-realization; iti — thus; ucyate — is said; yogī — a mystic; sama — equipoised; loṣṭra — pebbles; aśma — stone; kāñcanaḥ — gold.

Translation: 

A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogī [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything – whether it be pebbles, stones or gold – as the same.

 

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā, so let us look at what is the implication of this.

How does knowledge moves to implication there are three stages there is Hearing, Contemplating, Applying (Sravana, Manana, Nididhyasana) this is talked in Upanishad.

Hearing is sravana, Contemplating is Manan and Applying or internalising is Nididhyasana.

When we hear, the knowledge enters into the ears, then we go further we contemplate on it and it entered into head at that time it becomes Gyana, and then we internalise it, apply it, further then it enters into our heart and then it becomes Vijnana.

First time when we hear something as generally we hear so many things when it enters our ear it will not be registered over there, we will forget it soon and we really don’t give it much thought after it enters ears that is how it dies away, although some may stay but mostly will go away.

 

So first is hearing and then contemplate, Srila Prabhupada said one should not hear like a hog, hog is having big ears, but actually it cannot understand philosophy, so hearing like a hog means being in animal consciousness and staying in animal consciousness not becoming one’s consciousness raised by hearing not becoming illuminated and purified and transformed by hearing that is hearing like a hog, after hearing we contemplate so scriptures says sense gratification leads to misery which is discussed in 5th chapter so we may feel like that how it makes sense so when we hear that time we think does it makes sense or it doesn’t make sense when we hear we realise that we have certain conception and when we are hearing we found it is contradictory generally speaking knowledge involves connecting unknown with known, so what is known in this case is senses gratification gives pleasure that is what I have heard from childhood and seen in movies etc. that is what I have heard now when we hear from scripture that sense gratification leads to misery, now if I don’t take it seriously I may think these are religious people they think like this they don’t want to enjoy life, they don’t want let them not enjoy but we are going to enjoy don’t bother about the religious stuff so many people think like this and they don’t take things seriously then there has to be a serious consequences, the body is going to grow old get diseased and all the bad Karma the person has done could come back as sinful reactions so a wise person doesn’t neglect scripture, we hear and we think about it, so the preconceptions that we have and what we hear if these two contradict then we have to seriously think which is right and why it is right, we can’t just wish away our preconception which may be based on some experiences or certain assumption or notions we acquire from certain sources we have to challenge and counter them by conscious contemplation OK scripture is saying like this and I know this. This is gyana, I may be thinking like this which is true? Contemplate yeah it seems like sense gratification leads to pleasure but are the people who are enjoying senses are happy most of them we see engage in such happiness are harmful to them they engage in smoking, drinking , intoxication these harms them, it also harms other, they drink and drive and hurt others they don’t get so much satisfaction it is temporary and afterwards they fall in troubles so by conscious contemplation we understand that what I was thinking is wrong what scripture says is true so in such a way the knowledge just doesn’t enter one’s ear and leave another but goes to head and settled over there, even if it is settled over there it doesn’t mean that we have accepted it internally, yes there are various levels of internalisation one is intellectual internalisation when we intellectually understand it but even after intellectually understanding it there may not be emotional internalisation which means Yes I accept it, it is true, what happens that even if we intellectually internalise certain things at that time still the problem remains that the feelings are still very much towards sense gratification so if I have the opportunity I will pounce on the sense gratification now somehow I am told and I have accept it intellectually up to certain extent that sense gratification doesn’t lead to pleasure it leads to misery but still I feel no it leads to pleasure so then that will require purification that will require greater realisation when that purification and realisation comes then we moved to next stage, the next stage is we accept in heart. For example if someone has never drunk and he can see misery in it that people drink, they lose health, wealth their reputation they will make fool out of themselves so he will not feel any temptation about it but he may not feel same with other sense gratification for example sexual pleasures they may be very strongly tempted about it but as we become more and more spiritually advances more and more sense gratification will be exposed to us what they really are (they don’t have pleasure but only miseries) they are not source of happiness they are sources of delusion and sources of distress they delude us and they cause us to suffer, so gradually as we understand we move towards Vigyana, Vigyana means internalise not only at the level of head but at the levels of heart, realisation, when the mind except something yes this is true when it goes deep in our heart then Yes I accept it is true. It is realisation. Realisation means that which is a reality we accept that it is a reality. That is a reality that sense gratification leads to misery but we are not accepting it. When we accept it real then it becomes a realisation. So we all want to move towards realisation and gradually we may accept these things. That sense gratification leads to misery. So I should not indulge in it not because I have been told not to do it but because it is a path which leads to misery and why I will do it there are better ways to live life and best is to serve Sri Krishna so let me just serve Sri Krishna. That is Vigyana, when we get this inner acceptance, so Sri Krishna is saying, jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā, when one have knowledge and one has gyana one become Trupta, otherwise when one has gyana, O sense gratification leads to misery but doesn’t have Vigyana in that case one is hearing sense gratification leads to misery but feeling sense gratification leads to happiness why I am not allowed to do it then there is no trupiti over there it is Atrupti this is dissatisfaction, irritation, frustration so gradually contemplating and living according to it we will realise it.

 

Hearing it goes to ear, contemplating it goes to head how it goes to heart when we apply it, so when we apply it, it goes to heart so now we may wonder what comes first does applying comes first or knowledge going to heart comes first. Actually it is both ways whatever little conviction we have we apply, so alcoholic may not feel alcohol as misery when the urges comes the alcoholic think I wanted to enjoy this but the alcoholic is told no-no-no and alcoholic understands I have enough experience I am dissolved I am going to be sober now. I am not going to get involved in this so nothing doing, let me just put it aside there has to be some determination, if determination is there then one goes beyond it .

 

How scriptural examples are applied to be truly beneficial:

Gyana – Vijnana

  • Map
  • Prescription 
  • Recipe 
  • Manual

All of these provide some information some knowledge but none of these truly benefit us unless we do something with that knowledge, a map may tell me how we can go from Mumbai to Pune say, Unless I make journey I cannot go from Mumbai to Pune. A prescription may tell me you are having cough now take these medicines and you will get cured but unless I take medicine I will not be cured. A recipe can tell me how to make rasagulla but unless I use recipe and  cook rasagula I cannot have rasagula. A manual may tell me how to operate a machine but unless I operate machine I cannot use it for any purpose. So scriptures are like that a map, manual a prescription so unless we apply that scriptural knowledge will not benefit us, and the difference between all this and scriptural knowledge is scriptural knowledge are all internal. We need to apply it and application need to be internal. So whether a person is applying it or not is not easily apparent. We will know whether we are applying it or not but even if we are not applying it others may think that we are applying and we may be satisfied by making others think that we are applying it rather than actually applying it, that should not happen because if that happen then it is Mithyachara as Sri Krishna has talked in 3rd chapter. So we need to internalise the knowledge then we will become triptatma. 

 

So what prevents Gyana from Vijnana? There are two obstacles:

  • Desires: Originate from Mind and entrap the Karmis


  • Doubts: Originates from the intelligence and entrap the Gyanis

In BG Sri Krishna says Mayi Arpit Manor Budhi, offer your mind and intelligence to Me. Why these two specific faculties? Because they comprise of our subtle bodies and wherever subtle body go we will go there eventually, so if we offer our subtle body to Krishna we offer ourselves to Krishna by that so desire and doubts stop our subtle body going to Sri Krishna. So desire makes us feel there is so much enjoyment here why I should go to Sri Krishna, and doubt is Krishna real? Is the spiritual world real? It also creates obstacles, so doubts and desires both are obstacles. So when we say desires entrap Karmis and doubts entrap Jnanis, who are we, actually we are worst of both we have desire also and doubts also, we have both the tendencies Karma and Gyana, many devotees think that science is like Gyana because scientist are intellectuals there are so many formulas so much complex concepts. So actually from philosophical perspective science is not Gyana science is largely Karma? Why it is not similar to the path of Gyanis, thinking very deeply about what the nature of reality is, there are some scientists who think what the nature of reality is, most scientist think how to bend the nature for our purpose, most people who work on science work on technology and technology involves basically manipulating matter and manipulating mater is Karma, it is Karma Kanda so in the path of Karma Kanda suppose somebody has to produce rains so they will do some Indra Yahjna and by that rains will come so now people may not believe today that when we do some fire sacrifice rain will come, putting aside the fact that whether people believe or not what is underlying principle over there, principle is using some method to manipulate matter rains are material it is not spiritual what comes out of rains is matter and the clouds from which the rains come they are material and devata in charge of that is also material so rains are material so we are using some material phenomena to get some material result the process may be high tech but the actual result of the process is material manipulation material control so that there can be material enjoyment, so most of science is Karma, it is not Gyana it is Karma so today many people who are well educated they also are filled with many desire for sense gratification that is why we see so much of scientific technology is used to promote sense gratification, the whole entertainment industry especially porn industry which brings out most regressive desires, the lowest desires from people’s mind and make actual those desires, so when we said today people are having worst of both we have scientific education which is mistaken to be intellectual and through this education we have doubts also, is God exists, Is soul exists, is reincarnation real along with that because this knowledge is used largely for senses gratification so we are also filled with many desires and doubts and both obstructs us. Among these two which are most dangerous actually both are dangerous but doubts are more dangerous, generally in spiritual path when desires come it makes us feel lowly I have so many material desires, I am so impure but when doubts come it makes us feel superior, hey these people they are so sentimental they believe such stuff, I am not so sentimental, I am intelligent, I won’t believe these things, so what happens is when we feel superior like this it will be difficulty to take shelter and ask for help, so try to find out solution what is the solution in a humble and submissive way, that is why in one sense doubts can be more dangerous. Also Srila Prabhupada considered philosophical deviations far more dangerous then sensual deviations. If some of his disciple will fall down because of sensual reasons, Srila Prabhupada will still encourage them to continue, if somebody is philosophically deviated the Srila Prabhupada would be very strong, he would caution other devotees about that disciple.

So we are discussing Janan Viganan triptamma, we have to deal with our desires and we have to deal with doubts, we have to deal with desires by chanting by purification we deal with doubts also with purification and chanting but along with that we systematically study and acquire knowledge and be patient, earlier also we discussed we can also deal with our doubts by keeping some of our doubts in suspension without judging true or false we keep them in suspension so Sri Krishna has talked in previous verse and this verse about some losta kanchana, equal vision towards things.

End of transcription.