Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

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

Now Krishna will contrast demigod worship with pure devotional service

Chapter 9 overview 

1-3: Developing kevalabhakti by knowledge about Krishna

4-10: Krishna’s inconceivable relationship with the material world

11-19: Those who understand Krishna in various ways

11-12: Impersonalists mistake Krishna’s body to be material

13-14: Kevalabhaktas

15: 3 typesa –ahangrahopasana, pratikopasana, vishvarupa-upasana

.16-19: vishvarupa-upasana

20-28: Kevalabhakti is far superior to demigod worship

29-34: Kevalabhakti elevates even the most fallen;

Bg 9.22

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

Word for word: 

ananyāḥ — having no other object; cintayantaḥ — concentrating; mām — on Me; ye — those who; janāḥ — persons; paryupāsate — properly worship; teṣām — of them; nitya — always; abhiyuktānām — fixed in devotion;yoga — requirements; kṣemam — protection; vahāmi — carry; aham — I.

Translation: 

But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

 

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ, one who fixes the mind ananyāś cintayanto.

ye janāḥ paryupāsate, those who thus worship Me māṁ

teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ, those who constantly absorbed in devotion to Me

for them yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, so I protect what they have and I provide what they lack vahāmy aham. 

This is a verse which illustrates personal intervention and personal care which Lord takes for those who approach Him personally and devotionally, we see the principle which Krishna has talked about in 4.11 ye yathā māṁ prapadyante, tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham, as people surrender to Me, I reward accordingly.

So here Krishna is elaborating the principle by telling if someone approaches with pure devotion He reciprocates accordingly, He takes as His responsibility to take care of them, and not just His responsibility but His personal responsibility vahāmy aham. 

We should not think this is like a business arrangement why Krishna is making such stiff demands, Krishna is saying you have to do cintan of Me 

Ananyā, then only I will do this for you yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, see the point is it is not a business arrangement, the point here is that it is a reciprocation, and ananyāś cintana is an obligation which we have to follow in resentment.  ananyāś cintana happens naturally when one fixes mind on Him because when one loves Him naturally one fixes mind on Him, so this is bound of love Krishna is talking about. And ananyāś cintana is demonstration of that love. So those who love Me, naturally I love them. This whole material world is an expression of love of Krishna as living entity can fulfil their desires, and come back to Him for eternal happiness, but those who love Him He naturally reciprocates with Him and love them more. 

So now we may think that constantly thinking Krishna is very difficult we have to understand that it is a discipline it is a practice, the wonderful thing about Krishna is more we think about Him the more we become purified and when we become purified naturally all attractive Krishna will manifest to us and we fall in love with Him, and then thinking about Him become natural for us, it becomes perpetual, it becomes habitual joyful, blissful for us, so we have chosen Krishna consciously it is Sadhana for us at our Sadhaka stage, as soon as devotees doesn’t have to think about anything else immediately the mind will go back to Krishna so for us these verse shows how much of love is there between Lord and the devotees. And the purer the devotion the greater is the reciprocation of the Lord. 

yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham is quoted by LIC but they cannot ensure our life, someone else will get money after we die. Nobody can ensure life at material level, at the material level ultimately what we get is death and real life insurance is when we will attain eternal life, and that insurance is provided by Krishna, but Krishna is telling here that my blessing are provided not just at material level, once we started caring for someone we cannot differentiate this is at soul level so here I will care but this is at body level so I will not care, no we care for the complete person, similarly Krishna also cares for devotee as a complete person, now of course He will care more for the soul naturally because the soul is the real person, but Krishna will take care of the material need also when that is required, so Krishna is telling here two things I protect what is required and I provide what you lack, in this world these are two main fears that people have, one is if I have something it will be stolen away from me, and we have fear that what I need I may not get or I may not have, e.g. now a days people have wealth in bank which is based on internet so fear is if the security code is stolen in a moment I can lose everything. E.g. if I fall sick if I don’t have health insurance how I will be treated? So these are genuine fear which people have. So Krishna is telling here I will take care of this. 

So yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

So normally yoga is used in the sense of connection we use another meaning of Yoga in 9.5 paśya me yogam aiśvaram, paśya me, just see, what Yogam Ashwaram, the mystical opulence of Mine so Yoga means connection so the connection which Krishna extends to us that is also yogam aiśvaram. 

Here Srila Prabhupada translated yoga-kṣemaṁ, yoga as requirement and kṣemaṁ as protection, so what it essentially means is whatever is required for Yoga I will provide and I will also protect. So these are two assurances of Krishna.

So here Krishna is saying if we take care of why’s of life He will take care of How’s of life. 

Means, Why I am living, I am living for the sake of service for Krishna, Krishna will make details of How things will work out for us.

Now this doesn’t mean we become impractical and utopian, so as it is said about Srila Prabhupada his head was in sky but his feet was on ground, Srila Prabhupada spread KC it was step by step, one thing at a time systematically, similarly we can also do KC and our services with faith in Krishna’s protection and provision, so devotees doesn’t demand Krishna protection and provision, a devotee naturally serves Krishna and Krishna reciprocates by providing. So Srila Prabhupada was having 40 rupees and that time 40 rupees was not convertible in dollar as that time the trade between India and USA was not that high, so Srila Prabhupada bring back that 40 rupee and he has given that money to rickshaw wala while going to Chipipara residence in Delhi and rickshaw wala had taken more money than he was supposed to take, So Srila Prabhupada practically took that money and brought it back, so he did not use the money also, still he was able to build this world wide mission, how was that? It was yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, Krishna is providing.

So is this provision only for Krishna’s pure devotees? Not necessarily. E.g. Of Srivas Thakur who was just clapping three times to maintain himself and his family, he was having so much confidence And Lord Chaintanya said even if goddess of fortune become poverty stricken you will be provided for. Of course this is rhetorical statement as Goddess of Fortune will never become poverty stricken. Again the point is Lord will provide for those who will devote themselves to Him, now this doesn’t mean that we don’t think in practical terms, point is we shouldn’t think ONLY in practical terms. Certainly we have to think practically if we are doing something whether we have financial support, whether it is going to work out or not, we will evaluate pros and cons, do SWOT analysis all that is basic which we will do, but beyond that we will not think only in practical terms, because ultimately our faith is in Krishna and Krishna can work in miraculous ways. So yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, I will protect and I will provide, and this verse apart from its overall inspiring message is also to be seen in terms of the context of previous verse, previous verse 20 & 21, Krishna has talked about those who will do Karma Kanada and go to heavens, so they accumulate a lot of punya, but that will not last long for them, and for them there is no body providing they may go to Surendra Loka but when Punya gets over they will fall back, kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti, Krishna said it doesn’t happen to His devotees, so here again Krishna is revealing His personal intervention and His personal role more as BG is progressing, in the second chapter 2.40 Krishna said what one achieves in spiritual path there is no loss, it will not reduce, so now Krishna is saying for this principle it is not that some impersonal law is acting, it is Krishna personally intervening. Krishna is saying I will ensure for my devotees there is no loss of diminution. Now that applies especially for spiritual credits.  But Krishna is saying it is all-round I take care of them I protect and provide, so devotees don’t demand from Lord devotees simply serve the Lord, and they focus primarily on the service when Srila Prabhupada went to America, he was not primarily thinking how I will earn a living over here? How I will manage my finance? He was thinking how can I preach? How can I share Krishna’s message and then and as an afterthought I also have to arrange to manage for myself, Srila Prabhupada was not an utopian he has struggled to live in India he was practically home less after he took sannyas, even before sannyas during vanaprastha he was staying in well-wishers family and changing continuously so fast that his mails could not catch him, so Srila Prabhupada was aware of practical difficulties but Srila Prabhupada was not consumes or exhausted or dejected by those practical difficulties, because he saw beyond that, hand of Krishna and protection of Krishna and empowerment of Krishna so we have the determination I am here to serve Krishna and how I will be able to do that, that will work out actually when we try to do something challenging for Krishna then we will find that Krishna does help us and then Krishna empowers us initially things may not be working out everything may be falling apart but later Krishna reveals this is how I make things work out, and in this way Krishna protects and provided for His devotees, 

Srila Prabhupada’s Purport: … so that his only desire is to achieve the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee undoubtedly approaches the Lord without difficulty. This is called yoga…

So he is talking about, when we need to approach Lord we need purity we need mercy, so Krishna says I provide that, that is the provision aspect so Yoga is the provision, for the sake of connection, 

Srila Prabhupada’s Purport: … By the mercy of the Lord, such a devotee never comes back to this material condition of life. Kṣema refers to the merciful protection of the Lord. 

And thus the devotees marched ahead towards Sri Krishna.

End of transcription.