Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya
So let us look at BG 07.01:
This is among the verse on which Srila Prabhupada has given maximum classes.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
Word for word:
śrī–bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Lord said; mayi — to Me; āsakta–manāḥ — mind attached; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; yogam — self-realization; yuñjan — practicing; mat–āśrayaḥ — in consciousness of Me (Kṛṣṇa consciousness); asaṁśayam — without doubt; samagram — completely; mām — Me; yathā — how; jñāsyasi — you can know; tat — that; śṛṇu — try to hear.
Translation:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Pṛthā, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.
mayy āsakta-manāḥ, with mind attached to me O Partha,
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, engage in Yoga taking shelter of Me, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ, you will become free from all doubt,
samagraṁ māṁ jñāsyasi, then you will know me completely,
How all that will happen? chṛṇu, hear.
Now there can be an alternative way of looking at this verse, this verse is a direct call for hear, by hearing Arjuns will hear what Krishna will tell how this will work and by hearing we will also move along. Hearing tells us about the path but hearing is also the path that is interesting, hearing shows the path and hearing is the path, what is the difference between the two? By hearing you will come to know how I will make spiritual advancement. How I will move closure to Krishna, along with that, hearing is the path also, why? Because hearing increases our attraction towards Krishna. chṛṇu, hearing is one of the limbs of Bhakti (Sravanam, Smaranam, Visnu Pad Sevanam), Prahllad Maharaj describes the 9 limbs of Bhakti and he said hearing is one of the important limbs, Srila Prabhupada says that everything begins with hearing, so hearing shows the path and hearing is the path. It is not the only path there are 9 limbs of devotional service, but hearing is very important limbs.
Sri Krishna is saying hear about how this will happen tac chṛṇu, hear about Me that is how you will come to know me in truth, you will be free from doubt, your mind will be attached to Me, hear about it, that will be described in 7th chapter, that is hearing shows the path.
Now we wanted to look at Hearing is the Path: for that we can look at flow of this verse in a different way, and that flow will connect it with the previous chapter, in previous chapter Sri Krishna has said the Yogi who thinks about Me is the top most yogi, now in this chapter Sri Krishna will say one who always thinks about Sri Krishna naturally has to be attached to Krishna, we cannot think about something constantly, unless we have affection for that thing e.g. Rukmini develops affection by hearing, Yajna Brahman’s Patni develops affection by hearing, so similarly Sri Krishna is telling over here that if you want to be attached to Me what is the process, the process I will tell you so let us look at the process, so what we are doing is from 1st chapter to 6th chapter flow is going to mayy āsakta-manāḥ to Mad gate nantaranmanah, always thinking about me, Sraddhavan Bhajate Yo Mam, but that process involve Karma Yoga, Astang Yoga, Then Detachment then attachment to Krishna come, detachment in terms of complete indifference to material reality then attachment to spiritual reality, now Sri Krishna will describe another process to reach same ladder. So we often talk about the examples of staircase and elevator, Bhakti Yoga is elevator and other yogic process is like staircase, this is true. So here we will see how Sri Krishna will outline the elevator, so the goal which is glorified in the end of 6th chapter is Mad Gate nantratman, Sradhhavan Bhajate, thinking about the Lord within one self and faithfully and intelligently serving the Lord. So that is centre of attachment, how one will get attachment? Let us look this verse from different perspective. So mayy āsakta-manāḥ is the goal.
Let us look the verse from bottom-up:
Flow within 7.1
By Following six stages, one will attain perfection
- 1. chṛṇu (By hearing what will happen, we keep on hearing regularly) then
2.Jnasyasi samagram (we will know Sri Krishna properly, we will know Sri Krishna completely, samagram. And when we will know Sri Krishna properly then)
3.Asamshayam, we will become free from doubts. The more knowledge increases, the doubts decreases, they get clarified, they get removed, they will be purified)
4.Ashrayah. Then we will understand actually Sri Krishna is
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ, Sri Krishna is my greatest well-wisher, Sri Krishna is ultimate object of my Love so naturally what I will do is, I will take shelter of Him, Ashrayah, Mad Ashrayah. When we will take shelter of Krishna.
5.Yogam yunjan. Shelter of Krishna is not just some abstract conception it is practical action so that is Yogam yunjan. We practice devotional service Yogam yunjan.
- Asakta-manah. Then what happen by practice of devotional service Asakta-manah. Our mind will become attached to Krishna,
so in this way through six stages, one will attain perfection, Asakta-manah, one will attain perfection. That is what Sri Krishna is talking about over here.
So goal is Asakta-manah, when we hear about Krishna what happens by hearing about Sri Krishna?
By hearing about Krishna we get Samagram, the more we hear we understand, we hear pastime about Krishna, we hear Philosophy about Sri Krishna, all these deepens our understanding, so our Gyana increases, and Samagram, we will know Him in full, what does this full means, full doesn’t mean complete, in the terms of knowing Sri Krishna completely, no one can know Krishna completely, in 10th chapter Arjuna will say Svametatmana atmanam, only you know yourself nobody else knows you fully, and Gaudiya Vaishanava Siddhanta says that actually God also doesn’t know Him fully, because God’s energy are expanding, so here samagram Jnasyasi means we know fully according to our capacity, so we cannot know the absolute truth in totality but we can know Him in full according to our capacity and when we know Him according to our capacity we become purified by that, and what is the impurity that is removed Asamshaya, the doubts, so now the doubts can be from very basic to complex also, does God exists? Does God cares for me? Or is the Holy name so powerful that it can give the ultimate liberation? Is the Holy name only way to liberation ultimately in this Kalyuga? Is Krishna the highest aspect of the absolute truth? So all these if we keep hearing chrnu, Asamshayam, the doubts will go away. Acharayas has written so many books and so many devotees have studies these books and their scholarship is available to us, if we just seek it, then the Asamshaya will go away and we will have Ashrayah.
So when we want to learn about Sri Krishna we don’t want to learn about Sri Krishna for the sake of entertainment we want to learn about Sri Krishna for the sake of attainment of Shelter, it is not entertainment but it is attainment, attainment of shelter, Krishna to become our ultimate shelter. So when we will get the shelter of Krishna we will get ashrayah, we whole heartedly start practicing yoga, which Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, the yoga which will lead to Asakta-manah, which will make our mind attached to Krishna, so getting our mind attached to Krishna is our perfection of spiritual life, once our mind is attached to Krishna it will not be distracted to anything else, when mind will not go anywhere we will not only attain peacefulness but also joyfulness, because Sri Krishna is supremely joyful. So by connection to Krishna we will attain supreme joyfulness, let us look at Srila Prabhupada’s purport here:
One should therefore begin yoga practice as directed in the last verse of the Sixth Chapter [what is instructed there? mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā, fix the mind on Supreme Lord]. Concentration of the mind upon Kṛṣṇa the Supreme is made possible by prescribed devotional service in nine different forms, of which śravaṇam is the first and most important. [That is what Sri Krishna is telling over here Chrunu]
Then Srila Prabhupada discussed about the verse which talks how the hearts gets purified:
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam this process of understanding Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is described in the Second Chapter of the First Canto as follows:
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
ceta etair anāviddhaṁ
sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
evaṁ prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi
dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare
“To hear about Kṛṣṇa from Vedic literatures, or to hear from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gītā, is itself righteous activity. And for one who hears about Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is dwelling in everyone’s heart, acts as a best-wishing friend and purifies the devotee who constantly engages in hearing of Him. In this way, a devotee naturally develops his dormant transcendental knowledge. As he hears more about Kṛṣṇa from the Bhāgavatam and from the devotees, he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. By development of devotional service one becomes freed from the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus material lusts and avarice are diminished. When these impurities are wiped away, the candidate remains steady in his position of pure goodness, becomes enlivened by devotional service and understands the science of God perfectly. Thus bhakti-yoga severs the hard knot of material affection and enables one to come at once to the stage of asaṁśayaṁ samagram, understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead.” (Bhāg. 1.2.17–21) Therefore only by hearing from Kṛṣṇa or from His devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can one understand the science of Kṛṣṇa.
Let us discuss this breifly:
These are most quoted verses by Srila Prabhupada, from 1.2.6 to 1.2.21, also he has given series of lecture on this which has come as the book Dharma, way of transcendence.
So this verse is saying from chrnu, mayy āsakta-manāḥ Manah will come, so how that will happen is explained in sequence of verses:
1.2.17
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
1.2.18
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
1.2.19
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
ceta etair anāviddhaṁ
sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
1.2.20
evaṁ prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
1.2.21
bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi
dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, when we hear about Sri Krishna, it is described from the perspective of Krishna (sva-kathah), for Krishna it is His own Katha, so just hearing this Katha and speaking this Katha is purifying, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, it is purifying in itself, Punya, but additionally when we hear about Krishna, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi, that Lord is situated in our own heart antaḥ-stho, and what does He do? He removes vidhuno, vidhunoti hy abhadrāṇi, He washes away cleanses away our abhadra, our impurities, and why does He do that suhṛt satām, He is well-wisher of all living beings but especially well-wisher of those who are transcendentalist, He is well-wisher of all living being, a doctor wants to cure all people but if a patient is cooperative, diligent then definitely it works more but if the patient is far from cooperative, hostile, if he is cursing and kicking, not at all cooperative then naturally what happens is the doctor will still do the duty, so like that Sri Krishna is present in the heart of all living being always irrespective of whether they glorify him of defy Him but naturally as Sri Krishna is a person if the person cooperate and those who try to devote themselves to Him, Sri Krishna reciprocates, if you help I will definitely help you, so for those who hear about Sri Krishna, the purification happens in two ways, just sound vibration itself is purifying but along with that our submissive reception with sound vibration activate the presence of Krishna within our heart, then Krishna also purifies us internally, then what happens?
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu, so most of the Anarthas, prāyeṣv means most of them anarthas abhadreṣu, gets destroyed naṣṭa, how? nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, by serving the Bhagavata, who is the Bhagavata here it is book Bhagavata but essentially it is person Bhagavata also, so from both of them we hear about Sri Krishna Katha, so the same process is continued.
So first talk is about by hearing, Sri Krishna cleanses our heart but this one goes for a bhagavaty uttama-śloke, bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. So what happens after that is, that Lord who is uttama-śloka, for Him Bhakti awakens in our heart, first it talks about it is detached from negative and attached to the positive, bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī, so what is required for naiṣṭhikī bhakti? Why don’t we have naiṣṭhikī bhakti right now? naiṣṭhikī means steady, unshakable, we don’t have this because the modes are interfering with our connection with Sri Krishna, what happens by the practice of Bhakti steadily?
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
ceta etair anāviddhaṁ
sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, because of modes of passion and ignorance there is Kama and Lobha, kāma-lobhā-ādayaś ca ye. Our mind or heart ceta anāviddhaṁ, become free from them and we become situated sthitaṁ in Satva, what is the way of it being situated in Satva? Prasīdati, the mode of goodness itself makes us joyful, in 14th chapter we will see that one of the characteristic of modes of Goodness is Sukhe Sattvam, Sukhe Sanjayati, so when there is no longer the pulls of lower modes, then when we are situated in Sukha then we will move forward steadily, sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati, so we become joyfully situated in goodness, so actually resentful devotional service doesn’t lead to much spiritual advancement, joyful devotional service leads to advancement. Resentful means why only Krishna has to enjoy, I also wanted to enjoy also, that sort of devotional service is resentful, but if the devotional service is joyful we make more spiritual advancement.
evaṁ prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
So evaṁ prasanna-manaso, when we are engaging in devotional service thus bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ, by the practice of Bhakti Yoga we engage in bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ, mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. So with pleasant mind if we engage in devotional service then the Bhagvat Tattva Vijnanam, the scientific knowledge about Sri Krishna awakens in our heart, and when that scientific knowledge awakens then mukta-saṅgasya jāyate, we become liberated from all form of contamination mukta-saṅga, mukta-saṅga means any contact with matter, so earlier it was described that one becomes freed from lower modes but now it is described that once we become situated in goodness, practice spirituality steadily then we become free from all contamination, all kind of sanga will go away, then what happens is most dramatic here, Srila Prabhupada is using word Shrunu and Ashmsaya to explain these two verse from Bhagavat Gita,
bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi
dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare
bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś, so all the attachment which are there in the heart they get cut-off, bhidyate, get cut-off, the attachments which are there in our heart they keep us bound to the material world, but when we understand Sri Krishna and we become enlivened by the knowledge of Sri Krishna then all the attachment fall away, and then doubts also go away, chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Chidyante, cut-off the doubts are also destroyed, and naturally when the desires and doubts go away, we don’t do any activity apart from Sri Krishna, apart from service to Sri Krishna so kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi, therefore all fruitive activities stops and dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare, so one gets transcendental vision, one understands and becomes attached to Sri Krishna so this is how this wonderful process of Bhakti works.
End of transcription.
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